


Avengers: Part of the Team

by d0d0bird



Series: Marvel: Tales to Tantalize! [17]
Category: Jessica Jones (TV), She-Hulk, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alcoholic Jessica Jones, And a Shag, BAMF Bobbi Morse, BAMF Jennifer Walters, BAMF Jessica Jones, BAMF Peter Parker, Big Sister Bobbi Morse, Bigender Loki, Bisexual Jessica Jones, Bisexual Loki, Bondage, Bullying, But He Has To Go Through Some Serious Shit First, Chaotic Neutral Loki, College Student Peter Parker, Cunnilingus, Depression, Drunkenness, Electrocution, Emasculation, Embarrassment, Evil Maria Hill, F/F, F/M, Gags, Gen, Heartbreak, Humiliation, Humor, Hurt Jessica Jones, Hurt Peter Parker, Hurt/Comfort, I'm Going To Hell For This, Intentionally Triggering PTSD, Its Not a Literal Adoption But Still, Jessica Jones Adopts Peter Parker, Jessica Jones Gets a Hug, Jessica Jones Needs a Hug, Jessica Jones is Mess, Light Bondage, Like Seriously Its a Lot and Its All Emotional, Lovable Oaf Thor, MockingJess, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-Sexual Bondage, Nudity, Oral Sex, POV Jessica Jones, POV Peter Parker, Panic Attacks, Pansexual Peter Parker, Pantsing, Partial Male Nudity, Partial Nudity, Peter Parker Actually Treats Mary Jane Like a Human Being, Peter Parker Gets a Hug, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Peter Parker Whump, Peter Parker is a Mess, Peter Parker-centric, Poor Peter Parker, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Precious Peter Parker, Protective Jessica Jones, Reference to dubious consent, References to Depression, References to Torture, Rejection, Ridicule, Second-Hand Embarrassment, Sex, Sexual Shaming, Shame, Shoved Into Locker, Situational Humiliation, Social Humiliation, Sock gag, Sub Bobbi Morse, Substance Abuse, Suspension, Teasing, Trapped In A Closet, Verbal Abuse, Wetting, Wine Mom Loki, bound and gagged, evil Natasha Romanov, female nudity, gagged, seriously though, so much whump, wedgie, wedgies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-10
Updated: 2020-01-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 04:20:16
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 20,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22190941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/d0d0bird/pseuds/d0d0bird
Summary: Jessica Jones and Peter Parker have been recruited to something called “the Initiative” to help deal with an alien threat. The battle is being led by none other than Peter’s childhood hero: Captain America! Meanwhile, Jessica learns that Special Agent Barbara Morse isn’t as much of an uptight hardass as she thought she was.Peter’s abilities are finally being appreciated as he befriends his teammates. He’s found a place where he feels like he belongs. With rumors that they may be brought onto S.H.I.E.L.D. fulltime, Peter is starting to see a bright future for himself.What could possibly go wrong?
Relationships: Jessica Jones & Peter Parker, Jessica Jones/Bobbi Morse, Loki & Peter Parker, Past Felicia Hardy/Peter Parker, Peter Parker/Mary Jane Watson, Steve Rogers & Peter Parker
Series: Marvel: Tales to Tantalize! [17]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1507763
Comments: 5
Kudos: 11





	Avengers: Part of the Team

The door to conference room opened and almost a dozen agents walked into the windowless room. The room’s sole feature was a long conference table. Standing at the head of the table was Secretary of Intelligence Maria Hill. She stood there silently until everyone had taken their seats. She waited another few moments before speaking.

“I spoke with Dr. Octavius this morning,” she said quietly, “We have an estimated 48 hours until the arrival.”

There was a wave of gasps and murmurs across the room. Hill waited for it to quiet down before speaking again.

“I know this is extremely stressful information to handle,” she said, “but rest assured we are prepared for it. Director Fury wants all of us at the ready in case we’re needed but until that time, you’re all on standby.”

“Isn’t there anything we can do now?” asked one agent.

“If there is, we won’t hesitate to let you know,” said Hill, “but until then, be ready for anything. That is all. You’re dismissed.”

The agents all seemed deeply uncomfortable with this, but they all knew better than to question Hill. They all began getting up and leaving when Hill spoke up again.

“Agent Romanoff, Agent Morse,” she said, “Stay here a moment.”

The redheaded woman in the black special ops S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform and a muscular blonde stopped and turned back to Hill. The last of the other agents left as Hill motioned for the two to sit down.

“What is it, ma’am?” asked Agent Morse.

Hill watched the door until she was sure that it was completely shut.

“The Initiative,” said Hill, “We’re putting it into effect.”

“About time,” smiled Agent Romanoff.

Agent Romanoff missed the action. Ever since her success had become publicly known, she had been relegated to supervision and desk duty. The Initiative would mean finally being able to return to the field.

“There’s no time to waste,” continued Hill, “Agent Romanoff, go retrieve the Asgardians. Agent Morse, get ahold of Walters. I want all of them here by this evening.”

“Ma’am,” said Agent Morse.

“Yes?”

“I’d like to once again reiterate my endorsement of both Jessica Jones and Peter Parker for the team,” said Agent Morse.

Hill stared expressionlessly back at Agent Morse. Morse was looking back, intent and dedication in her eyes. They had discussed the involvement of those two, but Hill still had her doubts.

“Are you absolutely sure?” asked Hill.

“Yes.”

Hill curled her lips inward in consideration. Agent Morse and Agent Romanoff were two of her most reliable agents. Hill often needed things done that others could not know about. There were covert operations even her higher ups couldn’t find out. These two agents were among the few that had been involved in those operations. She couldn’t trust many people, but she trusted them.

“...very well,” said Hill after a moment, “We’ll send someone else to get Walters. You go get Parker and Jones.”

“Understood,” nodded Agent Morse.

“You’re dismissed, Agent Morse,” said Hill.

Agent Morse got up and left. Romanoff and Hill continued to watch until she was out the door and it had closed behind her.

“I trust you and Agent Morse,” said Hill, “but there’s no way I can trust these others we’re bringing in. They’re powerful and not to be messed with. I need as much information out of them as you can squeeze. Especially the ones we don’t know much about.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“You’re dismissed as well.”

Agent Romanoff nodded and left. Hill sighed and slowly lowered herself into a chair. Even if they did everything right, even if all the stars aligned, there was still a chance none of it would work. If they were to fail, it would mean the end of the world.

***

“Any luck, Weezi?” asked Jennifer.

“Sorry, Ms. Walters,” shrugged Weezi.

The two were each at a laptop on either end of their conference table going over burglary reports from all over the country. They were looking for any evidence of one being perpetrated by Felicia Hardy. Hardy had previously tormented Bruce Banner* and escaped from Jennifer when she tracked her down last time.**

*In [Black Cat: The Next Mark](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20970062)

**In [She-Hulk: She’s Coming for You](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21073607)

“Damn,” cursed Jen quietly, “Did she get smart and lie low, or is she just too good to get caught?”

“Beats me.”

There was a buzz of the office’s doorbell. Weezi got up and answered it. A few S.H.I.E.L.D. agents walked in, led by a tall and skinny man in glasses. Jennifer felt herself go tense. Whatever this was, it couldn’t be good.

“Um…” muttered Weezi uncomfortably, “Do you fellas have an appointment?”

“Weezi,” said Jennifer, “Could you do me a favor and step out for a bit? Something tells me these folks are going to want some privacy.”

“Excellent observation, Ms. Walters,” smiled the man in glasses, “I’m Special Agent Jasper Sitwell. Pleased to meet you.”

Weezi made her way out of the office as Jennifer got up and walked over to Agent Sitwell, shaking his hand.

“I take it you’re here because you need something from me? Information on a client, perhaps?”

“It’s not your help we need, Ms. Walters,” said Agent Sitwell, “It’s She-Hulk’s.”

“Seriously?” said Jennifer, “Now I’m going on some mission for S.H.I.E.L.D.? I was in the middle of looking for Felicia Hardy! The readers have been waiting for her to get what’s coming to her since [Jessica Jones & Spider-Man: Crossed Your Path](URL)!”

“I’m going to have to insist,” said Agent Sitwell

“Fine,” sighed Jennifer, “but the next installment better address the Black Cat storyline.”

***

Winter had fully taken up residence in New York. Snow was in the air and on the ground, but most of it had been turned grey with dirt and sludge. The dreary sight of Empire State University covered in the stuff was made even drearier by the gusts of freezing wind.

Agent Morse sighed in frustration. Based on what they knew about Peter, he was usually in class this time of day, so she had snuck in the back of the classroom in question and looked around. He wasn’t there. She had used S.H.I.E.L.D.’s records to acquire Peter’s phone number and call him, but he hadn’t answered. What’s more, she hadn’t gotten a response when she knocked on his dorm room door either.

 _There’s no reports of Spider-Man being active right now,_ thought Agent Morse, checking her alerts, _So where is he?_

Agent Morse had been assigned to retrieve both Peter Parker and Jessica Jones for the Initiative. She had notified Jessica and was set to meet her at the airport. She was still having trouble finding Peter though. She wandered back toward the middle of campus.

“Excuse me,” she said to someone passing by, “I’m looking for one of my students. We were supposed to meet to discuss his work. His name is Peter Parker. You haven’t seen him by any chance, have you?”

Agent Morse was wearing a trench coat and slacks rather than her S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform, so she could plausibly be a professor. The wardrobe choice also avoided drawing unnecessary attention to Agent Morse or Peter.

“Yeah,” scoffed the student, “He’s hanging out at the far end of the quad.”

“Thank you!” smiled Agent Morse back.

Agent Morse made her way there. She was surprised that Peter was hanging out with anybody at this time of day. He was supposed to be in class and from what they knew about him, he didn’t seem like the type to skip it. When Agent Morse reached the edge of the quad, she understood.

A small crowd had gathered around a statue of the ESU mascot: Growl the Lion. The proud looking statue, which depicted a lion triumphantly roaring into the air, was about 12 feet tall. The crowd was laughing, pointing at the dejected boy hanging from the lion’s jaws by his underpants.

 _”Hanging out,”_ realized Agent Morse, _That’s what he meant. Smartass kid._

The hanging wedgie was made all the more ridiculous looking by the fact that Peter was bundled up for the weather. He wore a puffy red coat, a thick pair of black snow pants, red snow boots, thick black gloves, and a red and grey beanie pulled down to his eyebrows. The white fabric of his underwear was yanked out and all the way up past his head, forcing the back of his puffy coat to roll up his back. The waistband was sloppily but thoroughly duct taped to the lion’s lower jaw.

“Hey!” shouted Agent Morse as she approached the crowd, “Get a move on! All of you!”

The crowd slowly dispersed, many of them grumbling in disappointment that they could no longer laugh at Peter’s expense. Agent Morse put her hands on her hips and looked up at Peter. So this was Spider-Man when he wasn’t wearing the mask.

“Parker,” she said plainly, “I’ve been calling you for hours.”

“I’ve, uh,” squeaked Peter in embarrassment, “kinda been preoccupied.”

Agent Morse couldn’t help but wince. Had he really been hanging there the whole time? That poor kid. She pitied him. He reminded her a bit of herself when she had been in college. She had certainly gotten her share of wedgies in those days.

Agent Morse walked over and began looking for a way to get Peter down. She climbed up onto the lion, pulled a small knife out of the inside of her jacket, and began cutting away at the duct tape. Peter’s face grew redder as passers by snickered at the sight.

“Ah!”

Peter fell to the ground face first in the grey slush as the last of the duct tape came undone and the waistband slipped off the tooth. He groaned in pain as he lay there, stretched out underwear trailing out from under his coat. He couldn’t believe someone from S.H.I.E.L.D. had seen him like that.

“Is this about, uh…” muttered Peter as he got up and brushed the sludge off his coat, “...that thing we talked about the other day? With Jessica?”

“Yes,” said Agent Morse, “Get your things and meet us at the airport as soon as you- What in the world are you doing?”

“Sorry,” grunted Peter, shifting around with his hands down his pants, “It is REALLY hard to fix a wedgie in a snowsuit…”

***

“Jane!” shouted Loki from the other room, “We’re out of pizza bites again!”

Jane groaned as she dragged the laundry hamper with her into the kitchen. She went to the grocery list on the fridge and wrote ‘pizza bites’ on it, grumbling about Loki not doing it herself.

Now that the S.H.I.E.L.D. investigation into Mjolnir was over,* Jane had moved back into her apartment in Chicago. She had offered her place up to Loki and Thor to stay during their visit to Earth. She wished she hadn’t.

*Read all about it in [She-Hulk & Thor: My Sister Stole My Hammer](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21527050)

Thor and Loki had lived their entire lives as princes. They had absolutely no sense of manners or roommate courtesy. They were each consuming four times as much food as Jane and neither were paying for groceries or rent. They never cleaned up after themselves and had a very poor sense of personal boundaries. It had been months now and it was starting to grate on Jane.

Loki and Thor were currently in the next room over playing video games, which they had been doing for the better part of their time there. Their first time visiting Midgard in centuries and they chose to spend it on Jane’s couch eating junk food.

“Haha!” laughed Loki, “I win again!”

“Well played, Loki!” cheered Thor.

 _At least they’re having a good time,_ thought Jane to herself.

Jane lugged the laundry hamper into the living room. Jane was wearing red flannel pajama pants and a camisole as she shuffled back and forth around the apartment doing chores. Thor wore sweats and a T-shirt as he lounged on the couch next to Loki, who was in her feminine form wearing black skinny jeans and a dark green tank top.

“Jane Foster!” smiled Thor as she walked past him, “Loki and I were talking, and we want Cheng’s for supper tonight!”

“Again?” sighed Jane, “We’ve had that like four nights in a row now!”

“Yes we have!” declared Thor, “Let’s make it five!”

“Thor, I don’t know if I can afford it. I still haven’t found a new job since-”

“I’m good for it,” said Loki plainly.

“See? Loki says she’s good for it.”

“She keeps saying that,” whined Jane, “but she still hasn’t told me how she’s going to get any actual Earth money.”

Loki shrugged. So did Thor. Jane groaned.

“Oh, another thing,” said Loki spinning her hand about the air, “I found these in my laundry.”

There was a green spark and a large pair of white, high waisted briefs with red polka dots appeared above Loki’s hand. “X-All” was written on the waistband. Loki snatched it out of the air and began waving it about, getting both Jane and Thor’s attention.

“And I am _certain_ they’re not mine,” grinned Loki.

Jane blushed in indignance as she snatched her undies out of Loki’s hand. Thor smiled at the exchange, embarrassing Jane further. Loki had made a habit out of this. She had caught onto Jane’s attraction to Thor and decided to tease her in front of him on a regular basis.

Jane shoved the underpants into the hamper and carried it into the bathroom, where the washing machine was. She loaded it up and returned to the kitchen. Then she sighed. The whole place was a mess.

“I’m bored,” said Loki, “What _do_ we have to eat around here?”

Loki tossed her controller aside and got up. She made her way to the kitchen where she rummaged through the fridge, frowning in disappointment. She finally settled on tacos and began getting out the supplies to make them.

“Oh, um, Loki?” said Jane meekly, “If you’re going to make that, could you please clean up afterwards?”

“Oh, I would,” said Loki, “but it’s just that I really don’t want to.”

“Oh,” sighed Jane, “Okay.”

Jane made her way over to the couch and collapsed on it in exhaustion. When she first learned she’d be living with two Norse gods, she was ecstatic. If she had known it would be this much work, she might not have offered to let them move in.

She looked over at Thor. He smiled at her.

 _Okay,_ she thought happily, _That’s a nice bonus at least._

**Ding-dong!**

That was her apartment room’s doorbell. Jane wasn’t expecting anybody. Knowing neither of her Asgardian guests would think to answer the door themselves, she resigned to doing it herself. She got up, walked over, and opened it.

“Agent Romanoff,” realized Jane.

“Dr. Foster,” said Agent Romanoff, “You look… Good.”

Jane looked down sadly at her sloppy outfit.

“Sorry if this is a bad time,” continued Agent Romanoff.

“For what?”

“Back in Tønsberg I told your friends that we may call upon them to protect the world from a greater threat. That day has come. A battle is coming. I know you may-”

“Oh thank God,” sighed Jane happily, “Finally! I’ll go get them!”

“I…” said Agent Romanoff slowly as Jane rushed back inside, “...thought that would be harder.”

“Loki! Thor!” shouted Jane, “Agent Romanoff is here for you. She says you have to go with her.”

There was no response.

“She says it has something to do with a battle.”

Thor leapt to his feet and rushed over gleefully, calling Mjolnir to his hand. Everyone ducked as the hammer flew across the room and landed in his grasp.

“Ready to fight!” beamed Thor, “It has been too long! Let’s go, sister!”

Thor ran out the door past a bemused Agent Romanoff. Loki made her way over as well. As she got close to Jane, Loki pointed at her pajama pants. 

“One last thing,” said Loki.

The baggy pants were jerked straight to the ground, revealing Jane to be wearing pink, high waisted briefs covered in red hearts with a thick, white waistband. She squealed and covered her crotch, practically frozen in embarrassment. Agent Romanoff’s lips formed a half smile at the sight. Jane’s face turned bright red.

“Sorry about that,” smiled Loki, “Let me fix it for you.”

She pointed at the pants still around Jane’s ankles. The garment shot upward with incredible force, stretching up and hoisting Jane clear off the ground. Jane’s eyes crossed in shock and discomfort as the flannel forced their way into her butt along with her underwear. The pants continued to pull upward and hold Jane for a few more seconds before dropping her back to the ground, now hiked up to her armpits. Agent Romanoff’s half smile almost became a whole one.

“Another wedgie?” whined Jane, tugging at her crotch and butt, “Seriously?”

“I had to get one last one in before I left,” said Loki as she walked out the door, “You understand.”

Jane frowned in embarrassment and discomfort as she continued to readjust her pants. Loki and Agent Romanoff left, closing the door behind them.

***

“There’s no need to be tense,” said Agent Morse.

“What?” asked Jessica.

“You’re tense,” said Agent Morse, “but there’s no need to be. You can relax.”

“Thanks,” scoffed Jessica.

Agent Morse was leading Jessica and Peter down a long hallway. Agent Morse was right; Jessica was tense. Last time she had been in halls like these she was certain she’d be imprisoned or worse by S.H.I.E.L.D.* She was only moderately more comfortable there now.

*Back in [Jessica Jones: Basic Training](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21974302)

The three boarded the elevator. The elevator had glass walls and soon they were in a large glass tube as they rose into the sky on the side of the Triskelion, overlooking Washington, D.C. The Triskelion was S.H.I.E.L.D.’s headquarters. The east side of the building, on which the glass elevators were built, faced the back of the Lincoln Memorial and provided a view of the National Mall spread out beyond it.

“Cool,” whispered Peter.

Jessica gave him a side eye. He didn’t notice. She didn’t think he should be trusting S.H.I.E.L.D. any more than she was. They knew his secret identity. Didn’t that make him even a little suspicious? 

The trio walked out of the elevator into another hallway, this one looking more like one found in a traditional office building. Agent Morse led them down it and around a corner, bringing them to a door labeled “Conference Room.”

They opened the door into the room, noticing those who were already there. Angelica Jones was among them. Also seated at the table was a broad-shouldered brunette, a slender man with black hair and intense eyes, a muscle bound man with blonde hair and an enormous grin, and a redhead wearing an all-black S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform. Jessica, Peter, and Agent Morse grabbed seats at the table, awkwardly looking around the silent room.

“Where’s Hill?” asked Jessica, “Isn’t this whole thing her deal?”

“She’ll be here shortly,” said the woman in the black uniform.

Jessica looked over at Peter. He was staring anxiously at the muscular blonde man across the table.

“Hi,” said Peter quietly, looking the man in the eye.

“Hello!” bellowed the man back.

“Nice to meet you!” said Peter with strained excitement, “I’m Peterman Spider-Parker. I mean, Parkerboy Spiderpark. I mean… Uh…”

Peter was visibly sweating now. Jessica sighed. Was he _completely_ incapable of flirting?

“Well met indeed, Petermanspiderparkerimeanparkerboyspiderparkimeanuh!” smiled the man, “I’m Thor, son of Odin and God of Thunder!”

“...what?”

“Hello everyone,” said Maria Hill loudly as she entered the room and walked to the front of the table, “Thank you all for joining us. Now that you’ve all arrived, I suppose introductions are in order. My name is Maria Hill. I am the Secretary of Intelligence for S.H.I.E.L.D. I’m the one who proposed the Initiative and brought you all together.”

“Some of you already know Special Agent Barbara Morse,” continued Hill, gesturing to the woman in question, “She is an exemplary agent who holds the Mockingbird distinction.”

“This is Special Agent Natasha Romanoff,” she said, nodding to the redhead, “She is our premier espionage agent and assassin as well as a holder of the Black Widow distinction.”

“Angelica Jones, a mutant with the power of microwave heat projection. Jennifer Walters, also known as the Savage She-Hulk. Jessica Jones, superhuman private investigator. Peter Parker, superhuman vigilante. Thor and Loki, Gods of Thunder and Mischief respectively.”

“They’re more of titles, really,” shrugged Loki, “a formality.”

“Wait!” exclaimed Peter, “So you’re really THE Thor and Loki?”

“Why do people keep asking us that?” Thor asked Loki quietly.

“What about the others?” asked Jessica, looking around, “I saw the files you had on the Initiative. There were more than just the 8 of us.”

“The others were deemed unfit for this operation,” said Hill, “but thank you for reminding us that you blatantly violated the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act to find that out, Ms. Jones. Fortunately for you, we’ve agreed to overlook that in exchange for your cooperation.”

Jessica glared back at Hill. If that woman wasn’t going to hide her disdain for Jessica, Jessica wasn’t going to hide hers in return.

“Why are we here?” asked Loki impatiently.

“For this,” said Hill, clicking a button on the side of the table.

A screen lowered from the ceiling, pausing for a moment before powering on and displaying several grainy images of some sort of ship in space. Whatever it was looked melted together from different shaped vessels and debris.

“Several months ago, Advanced Ideas Mechanics reached out to an extraterrestrial entity known as the Phalanx,” explained Hill, “Advanced Idea Mechanics, or A.I.M., is a fanatical terrorist organization obsessed with using technology to ‘evolve’ humans. By decrypting the messages A.I.M. has been sending, we’ve been able to learn about this Phalanx. It is not an individual, but rather a collective of technological and biological organisms forming a singular intelligence. A.I.M. basically idolize it as a god that can save humanity. It travels from planet to planet and assimilates the native life, leaving nothing behind and growing stronger each time. It’s next stop is Earth.”

“Holy shit,” whispered Jessica.

“What can we do to stop it?” asked Angelica.

“That will be explained momentarily,” said Hill, “once you meet your team’s leader.”

“Who’s that?” asked Jennifer.

“Allow me to introduce myself...” announced a deep voice as the door opened.

A tall and broad shouldered man with a powerful jawline and closely cut blonde hair stepped into the room.

“My name is Steve Rogers,” he said, “but some of you may know me as-”

“CAPTAIN AMERICA!!!” came a high pitched shriek.

Everyone turned and looked to Peter, who had just clasped both hands over his mouth. His eyes were wider than Jessica had ever seen.

“...yes,” nodded Steve after a moment, “Pleased to meet all of you.”

***

“To review,” concluded Steve, “we will be shuttled into the Phalanx dreadnaught on a stealth dropship. We will be dropped off in the oxygen-rich organic shelter of the ship. Then we will break up into our designated teams, carry out our individual objectives as discussed, and meet back for pickup at the rendezvous point. Any questions?”

“How sure are we of our intelligence?” asked Jessica, “The ship layout, their defenses… What’s this all based on?”

“Decryptions from the A.I.M. correspondence with the Phalanx,” said Steve.

“So this is all dependant on our enemy sharing accurate intelligence,” said Jessica, “on top of its dependence on accurate decryption on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s end.”

“I have the utmost confidence in S.H.I.E.L.D.’s agents,” assured Steve.

“You only answered part of my question.”

“Look,” sighed Steve, “I’m not going to lie to you and say this will be an easy victory. We’re facing something humanity has never faced before. We’re not fully prepared because we _can’t_ be fully prepared for what we’re about to face. Humanity stands on the verge of a new era and we are only one of its responses to-”

“Only one of their responses?” asked Jessica, “What are the others?”

“Tactical nukes, cyberwarfare, bioweapons,” listed Agent Morse, “Just about anything we can think of in case it comes to all out war.”

“And what, we’re the front line!?” realized Jessica.

“Wonderful!” cried Thor, “Then we shall seize victory AND glory!”

“Come on, Jessica!” invited Peter, “We’ll be a symbol! ‘To show everyone that evil can be confronted and beaten!’”

Peter turned and smiled proudly at Steve, who looked back in confusion. Peter looked around and saw that most people were about equally as confused by his delivery.

“You know, like you said in Issue #165!” said Peter, looking to Steve, “The one where you and Golden Girl fight the… Uh…”

Peter realized that they still didn’t know what he was talking about. Apparently he was the only one in the room who had read the Captain America comics.

“Nevermind,” he muttered in embarrassment.

“Any other questions?” asked Steve after an awkward pause.

No one said anything.

“Alright,” nodded Steve, “Everyone get a good night’s sleep It’s important we go into battle well rested. Dismissed!”

Everyone got up and began milling about. Their battle would commence the next day. Peter was overflowing with all sorts of emotions. He rushed right up to Steve when the meeting ended.

“Captain America, sir,” said Peter nervously, “I am so sorry for my outburst during that meeting. I know what you were saying was important and-”

“Easy there, son,” chuckled Steve, placing a hand on Peter’s shoulder, “You didn’t do anything wrong. And feel free to call me Steve.”

Peter stared at the hand wide-eyed. Captain America was touching him!

“It’s just that,” stammered Peter, “you were always a huge deal to me growing up…”

“He went as you for Halloween!*” shouted Jessica from a distance.

*See how that turned out in [Spider-Man: Halloween is for Hookups](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21164174)

Peter turned bright red. Steve smiled.

“That’s very flattering, son,” he said.

“I’m going to go get a good night’s rest,” said Peter abruptly, “like you said to do. Good night!”

Peter rushed off to his cabin. Steve sighed and chuckled. Jessica was on her way out when she eyed Maria Hill standing around the back of the room. 

“Hill,” called out Jessica, “We need to talk.”

“I don’t make a habit of taking orders from my subordinates, Ms. Jones,” said Hill coldly.

“You said the other candidates were unfit for the team,” said Jessica, ignoring the ‘subordinate’ crack, “but I read their files. Most of them were more powerful than me. Some of them were your own agents, trusted ones. What’s the real reason I’m here if they’re not?”

“Excellent observation,” said Hill, “You _are_ unfit for this team, Ms. Jones. If it were up to me, you and Parker would both be out of here. As far as I’m concerned neither of you can be trusted. You’re an unstable wreck and he’s a masked vigilante who puts his own beliefs before the law.”

“Then why are we here?”

“Agent Morse insisted,” said Hill, “She said you two would be important assets. I disagree with that assertion, but until I find evidence to the contrary, I must acknowledge you both as members of the team.”

“Wait, Agent Morse?”

“This conversation is over, Ms. Jones,” said Hill, “Good night.”

Jessica considered Hill’s words as she walked out of the room. Agent Morse had insisted? That insufferable nerd who belittled Jessica when they first met? Jessica couldn’t fathom a reason she would have wanted her or Peter on the team.

“Ms. Jones,” said Steve calmly, getting her attention, “It’s getting late. You should get some rest. Trust me, you’re going to want to be well rested tomorrow.”

Jessica fought back the urge to roll her eyes.

***

Peter finished making his bed and climbed down the ladder. The room was small, but not cramped. It was lit only by a single lightbulb and decorated in an unpleasant shade of beige. There was a large metal locker in the corner and a set of bunk beds on the other side. Most of the Triskelion was occupied by other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and military personnel. Those who were part of the Initiative had been relegated to the smaller rooms. In Peter’s case, he was bunking with Loki.

Peter still wasn’t sure what to make of his roommate. Was he really _the_ Loki? He certainly acted the part, sneering and snickering throughout Steve’s presentation. Peter didn’t like him. Loki’s smugness really rubbed Peter the wrong way and the confidence with which he carried himself was intimidating enough to make Peter uncomfortable. Still, he had resolved to give his new roommate the benefit of the doubt. 

Peter had changed into his pajamas. He wore a pair of red sweatpants and a white T-shirt now as he turned off the light, climbed back up the ladder, and slipped himself under his covers to prepare for a long night’s rest. He couldn’t believe he’d be fighting alongside Captain America tomorrow! It was terrifying, sure, but Peter was used to things being terrifying. At least this time he’d face the terror with his greatest hero!

Peter lay happily in bed trying to fall asleep for another few minutes before he smelled a warm, sweet, fruity scent. He sat up in bed and looked around. The light was off, but he could make out the outline of Loki and a large pot beside his bed. Peter reached over and turned on the light.

“Loki!” he realized, “What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?” asked Loki as he stirred the warm metal pot of red liquid, “Mulling wine.”

“But Captain America said we need to get a good night’s sleep!”

Loki laughed.

“I’m serious!”

“Oh, don’t be a spoilsport,” dismissed Loki, “A true warrior always enjoys themself before a great battle.”

“No,” insisted Peter, jumping down from the bed, “I believe in Captain America and _he_ said it was important that we get the rest we need. I won’t let you risk the mission!”

“You really want to do this?” asked Loki in exasperation, still stirring his wine.

“Put the wine away and go to bed!” ordered Peter.

Loki sighed and pointed a finger at Peter. Suddenly the boy’s sweatpants were yanked down to the floor. Peter yelped and covered his crotch in embarrassment, white compression shorts totally exposed. Loki chuckled and snapped. The drawstring of the sweatpants tightened, binding Peter’s ankles tightly together and causing him to fall forward onto his face. Then Loki pointed at Peter’s bed and the covers and sheets sprang to life, leaping down onto Peter and pinning him until they finished wrapping themselves around his wrists, tying them tightly together behind Peter’s back. Peter winced as the tightening fabric painfully rubbed his skin. Loki pointed at Peter’s feet and the socks were stripped and flung into Peter’s mouth, causing him to wince in disgust as they were magically shoved further in.

“Don’t bother trying to break free,” said Loki as he lazily opened the locker, “My magic makes those more inescapable than any Earthly restraint.”

Loki pointed to Peter again, who struggled as he felt himself magically lifted up back the back of his shirt and carried over to the locker. Loki shoved him into it. Peter’s shirt hooked itself to the coat hook, leaving him dangling. He felt ridiculous with his pants tied around his ankles and his socks stuffed into his mouth like that, hands tightly bound behind him.

“Every great warrior needs a warrior’s name,” mused Loki with a smile, “For you… How about something straightforward? Like… Peter the Quick in Bed!”

“Mmph!!” cried out Peter, but the door the locker slammed shut in his face.

Peter was hanging there helplessly. There was nothing he could do but watch Loki continue mulling the wine through the vents of the locker door. Peter angrily began to wriggle about, hoping to free himself from the hook or at least break free, but Loki was right. He was completely unable to break free even with all his strength. He was doomed to spend the night in here with his shirt tugging at his neck and armpits, not to mention the wrist bindings and the fact that his mouth slowly getting drier thanks to the socks in it. This was not the sort of good night’s rest Captain America had wanted him to get. He bit down hard on the sock in frustration as he heard Loki laugh at him again.

Several minutes after Peter had been shoved into the locker, there was a knock at the door. Loki walked over to Peter and tapped the locker door. Peter heard a chiming noise. The locker had been charmed.

“They won’t be able to hear you now,” teased Loki, “but you’re free to try as much as you like.”

Peter scowled at Loki as the trickster went to the door and allowed the guests in. Peter let out a muffled scream of shock and indignance as he saw Jessica and Thor walk into his room, completely unaware that he was tied up inches away from them inside the locker.

“Glad you could make it,” said Loki.

“Your brother said you had booze,” said Jessica impatiently, “and I’ll be damned if I die in battle without having another drink.”

“Indeed,” said Loki, gesturing to the mystically heated pot.

“Excellent, Loki!” declared Thor, “You are in for a treat, Jessica Jones! My brother makes the best mulled wine in the Nine Realms!”

“I’m more of a whiskey chick,” shrugged Jessica as she walked further in, “but I guess beggars can’t be choosers. Give.”

Soon the three each had a wooden flask in hand as they scooped wine out of the pot and began to drink as they sat in a circle and chatted. Peter must have let out 15 exclamations of “Grmmph!” before giving up and just hanging there as he watched them talk.

“I’m not going to lie,” sighed Jessica, “I’m a bit worried about our odds.”

“Don’t be,” said Loki between sips.

“Why not?” asked Jessica, “I’m strong but I’m not invincible. Hill said this Phalanx thing has taken down entire planets already. How am I supposed to stand up to that?”

“The Captain’s plan is sound,” assured Thor, “I have seen many a tactic like it. Between our strategy and our strength, the Phalanx won’t stand a chance!”

“Keep in mind you have gods on your side,” added Loki, “None of the other planets had that. This will be a piece of cake.”

“If you say so…”

“Is there something else on your mind?” asked Loki, scooting up beside Jessica and placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Grllmph!” shouted Peter through the sock, “Grrlmph mrrrmph!”

But it was no use. Loki’s spell really did keep them from hearing him.

“Where’s Peter?” asked Jessica, “Wasn’t he bunking with you?”

“Yes,” nodded Loki, “but he went for a walk to clear his head. Said he was nervous about tomorrow.”

“LMRMRPH!” screamed Peter angrily.

“I quite like him,” said Loki, “He’s a speedy fellow. I’ve started calling him Peter the Quick.”

“Hrrmph,” grunted Peter quietly, exasperated.

“What an excellent name for a warrior!” declared Thor, “I cannot wait to see him in battle!”

“He’s good,” nodded Jessica, taking another swig of wine, “He’s even stronger than me, actually.”

“Don’t sell yourself short,” said Loki, leaning against Jessica as they sat against the bunk bed, “I’m certain you wouldn’t be here if they didn’t think you were an asset.”

“Apparently Agent Morse insisted I be here,” laughed Jessica quietly, “Can you believe that?”

“Well, yes,” said Loki, “but admittedly I know nothing about her.”

“She’s a total hardass,” said Jessica, “She’s strong, but so upright it’s a wonder she can walk straight. She’s a total overachieving nerd who puts 110% into everything and makes the rest of us look bad. She even kept me on my toes when I was investigating her, which is hard to do. I’m a pretty great fucking detective. So she has to be pretty fucking smart. And she wouldn’t give up even when I was about to… She is so tough… And tall… And those muscles… Whoa… Hey… How strong is this wine?”

“Strong enough to be fit for a warrior!” smiled Thor.

“Where did you say Peter was again?” she mumbled.

“Hm,” sighed Loki with a frown, getting up and walking away from Jessica, “Humans really can’t hold their liquor. How disappointing.”

“Fuck you, I’m great at this,” grunted Jessica, “Fucking god-liquor…”

Thor let out a loud laugh at Jessica’s state, but stopped short when he heard a loud pounding on the room’s door. All three turned to look at it.

“Loki? Peter?” called Steve from the other side, “What’s all that noise in there? People are trying to sleep.”

Loki sighed, got up, and answered the door. Steve was standing on the other side in a T-shirt and grey pajama pants. He scanned the room with a serious look on his face and then stared at Loki disapprovingly.

“We were just unwinding a bit,” said Loki.

Peter couldn’t take it anymore. He had been bound and forced to watch Loki party with his friend in his room for too long. He began pumping his legs, kicking back and forth to make himself swing on the hook. He managed to get a decent amount of momentum and put all of his strength into swinging into the door. The bindings were enchanted to hold him, but his strength would be enough to force open the locker door.

“Where’s Peter?” demanded Steve.

“Rmmph!” cried out Peter as he burst from the locker and landed face first on the floor, bound and gagged with his pants around his ankles. Everyone looked at Loki.

“Oh no!” feigned Loki lazily, “Whoever could have done this?”

“Untie him,” ordered Steve impatiently.

Loki rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers. Peter spat out the socks as the spell holding them in was finally lifted. The sheets released his arms and Peter quickly stood up and pulled his pants back on, blushing as Steve looked on with pity. Jessica just looked surprised. She was pretty drunk by now.

“I’m so sorry, sir!” whispered Peter bashfully.

“You have nothing to apologize for, son” said Steve, turning to glare at Loki, “Now what is the meaning of this?”

“Just having some fun,” shrugged Loki, “Peter the Quick here didn’t approve of our celebration of the eve before battle.”

“Of course not,” said Steve, placing a hand on Peter’s shoulder, “That’s because unlike you lot, this young man actually knows the value of responsibility.”

Peter smiled broadly up at Steve. He really did care! He really appreciated Peter’s help, just like he had known he would. Peter couldn’t believe Steve was actually as righteous as his comic books portrayed him. He had never been so glad he had read those.

“Now everyone back to bed,” said Steve, giving Peter a firm clasp on the back, “After all, we have a big day ahead of us tomorrow.”

***

Jessica groaned. Her head was positively throbbing. She had taken painkillers and water as usual, so the pain was fading even though it was far worse than usual. She hadn’t had a hangover like this in years. What the hell did those Asgardians put in their wine? Jessica winced in pain over and over again as she heard the footsteps of She-Hulk approaching.

“Yikes,” said She-Hulk as she walked up to Jessica, “You don’t look so good.”

Jessica scowled up at her, then looked meekly away. It was hard to scowl at someone like She-Hulk for long. The enormous woman stood at Jessica’s height and a half and every muscle on her body bulged with strength. She was wearing a white and purple sports bra with matching shorts, fingerless gloves, and boots. Jessica thought the look ridiculous, but would never say it to this woman’s face. She-Hulk noticed this, chuckled, and walked on.

They were all gathered in the Triskelion’s hangar, getting ready to board their ship and be deployed on the mission. The hangar was spacious and there weren’t many agents around. Supposedly their ship was state-of-the-art and could get them there quickly and safely. Jessica had her doubts.

“I knew drinking would be a bad idea!” said Spider-Man, walking up to Jessica.

“Why are you wearing that?” asked Jessica, noting that Peter was wearing his full Spider-Man costume, “We all know who you are.”

“So?” he said, puffing his chest out, “I’m still Spider-Man, after all!”

“Well,” chuckled Steve, “Looks like _someone_ , is dealing with the consequences of their actions.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” said Jessica.

Steve was also wearing his costume, decked out in the stars and stripes of his classic Captain America uniform. It wasn’t quite so brightly colored as the one in the comic books, but the overall design was the same. Jessica thought he looked like a complete dork.

“So Jessica,” he said, folding his arms, “Have you learned your lesson?”

“Gee willikers, Cap, I sure have! I’ll never touch an alcohol again!”

“Watch it, young lady,” warned Steve, “Don’t make me bench you before we even begin.”

“Call me ‘young lady’ again and see what happens.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” said Spider-Man jumping between the two, “Come on, Jessica. I’m sure he didn’t mean it like that.”

“Then he can say it himself!” said Jessica.

“Alright,” said Captain America, stepping right up to Jessica, “I will.”

“You will what?” she asked.

“I’m sorry,” said Steve, “It has been brought to my attention that some of my language and vocabulary is… dated. I have been told I sometimes come across as dismissive or infantilizing to women. I am not proud of it, but I am working on it. I apologize if referring to you as ‘young lady’ implied you were any less capable than your peers. I will not call you that again.”

“Huh,” said Jessica, pleasantly surprised, “Alright then.”

“But I do expect you to conduct yourself better today than you did last night,” said Steve sternly.

“What about them?” asked Jessica, nodding toward Loki and Thor.

Thor and Loki were wearing their armor. Thor’s was a dark mail with silver plating, a red cape, and a silver helmet topped with wings. Loki, now in her feminine form, wore black mail under a gorgeous emerald and gold painted plate armor with two enormous horns on the helm. Both were loudly laughing as they walked about the hangar.

“I guess they don’t get hangovers,” said Spider-Man.

“Lucky bastards,” grumbled Jessica.

“I’m going to go check on the rest of the team,” said Captain America.

He walked away. Jessica groaned in pain as she clutched her head. Peter continued to watch Captain America with a huge smile on his face under the mask.

“I can see why you look up to him now,” said Jessica.

“Right?” beamed Spider-Man, “Isn’t he the coolest?”

“No,” scoffed Jessica, “He’s an absolute dweeb. Just like you.”

Spider-Man looked at Jessica. Even with the mask on, she could tell his was annoyed.

“You’re not going to wear a uniform?” asked Angelica, approaching them.

Jessica looked over. Angelica was wearing what looked to be a variation of the standard S.H.I.E.L.D uniform. It had the same overall design, but was bright red and yellow for some reason. Jessica was wearing a leather jacket and jeans.

“After that stunt Morse pulled during basic with the cuffs?” scoffed Jessica, “Not likely. I’d like to keep my powers, thank you. What’s with the ketchup and mustard getup?”

“It’s a special heat-resistant variation of the uniform,” explained Angelica, “I actually like the colors. I always wore yellows and reds as a kid, especially after my powers developed. My dad would call me his Firestar.”

“Seems like an excellent code name,” said Agent Morse, walking up to them.

Agent Morse was wearing the same S.H.I.E.L.D. uniform she had worn before, complete with batons. She also wore what appeared to be a pair of high-tech goggles over her eyes. The frame and strap of the goggles were white, while the lenses were a yellowish orange.

“I’m going to check in with Cap real quick,” said Angelica, walking away.

“Jessica Jones,” said Agent Morse, “How are you feeling?”

“What’s your game, Morse?” asked Jessica suddenly.

“I’m sorry?”

“Cut the shit,” said Jessica, “I spoke with Hill. She said you insisted on Peter and me being on the team even though she opposed it.”

“I did,” nodded Agent Morse.

“Thanks!” said Spider-Man.

“Why?” demanded Jessica.

“Peter was a no-brainer,” said Agent Morse, “He has a clear sense of justice, has shown exemplary mastery of his powers, and his engineering skills alone would qualify him for S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“I- Really?” whispered Spider-Man bashfully.

“And you, Jessica,” continued Agent Morse, “beat me.”

“What?”

“You beat me,” she repeated, “You played me and won. Back during basic when you were investigating this operation. It was my job to prevent you from doing that. I failed. You outsmarted and outfought me. Your perception and determination are incredible. That makes you an asset to this team.”

There was a short period afterward where no one spoke, but Agent Morse did awkwardly glance at each of them for a moment. Then she nodded and walked off. Peter and Jessica looked to one another in confusion.

 _I can’t believe she said that,_ thought Jessica.

Jessica couldn’t decide how she felt about this woman. One minute she was humiliating Jessica in front of her peers and engaging in blatantly authoritarian bullshit, the next she was sticking up for Jessica and complimenting her abilities. Jessica suddenly felt bad for not acknowledging the ways Morse was skilled. Jessica was still impressed with how she refused to yield no matter how much pressure she put on her. There was a strength to her that Jessica found… appealing.

“Front and center, everyone!” shouted Captain America, waving his arm in the air, “It’s time to move out!”

So they did. They boarded the small stealth dropship, each taking a seat and placing a harness on over their shoulders. There were 9 of them in total: Captain America, Thor, Loki, She-Hulk, Black Widow, Mockingbird, Spider-Man, Jessica Jones, and Firestar. It was just them against the machinations of the Phalanx. Their odds were still unclear. All they could do was give it their all.

The ignition blasted and they all felt a lurch as the ship ran down the hangar and rocketed into the sky. They all gripped onto their harnesses as the ship jostled them around. The rumbling became smoother as they flew higher and higher. The blue sky and clouds slowly became the blackness of space dotted with stars. Jessica looked at the monitor on the wall, which showed the view from the front of the ship.

The enormous Phalanx dreadnaught was drawing nearer. Jessica tightened her grip on her harness. She would never admit it, but she was scared. Then she noticed something strange. It was beyond the Dreadnaught. It almost looked like a face. The more Jessica looked at it, the clearer that face became.

“What the hell is that?” asked Jessica.

“Uatu,” said Loki, “The Watcher.”

“Ua-who?”

“Ze’s an ancient being that watches over all of reality,” explained Loki, “We have seen zyr gaze upon Asgard many times. The Watcher is said to appear whenever something… significant happens. Something important enough for zyr to watch. None of you recognize zyr because your planet has probably never-”

“I’ve seen him,” said Captain America solemnly.

“When?” asked Black Widow.

“Back in the war,” said Captain America, “on the day I lost my... On the day I lost someone very close to me. The day I went under.”

“I’m sorry,” offered Spider-Man quietly.

No one spoke for a bit after that.

“You know,” said Mockingbird, breaking the lengthy silence, “The other agents have a name for us. Did you know that?”

Most of them shook their heads.

“So many lives have been lost to the Phalanx,” she continued, “They’re calling us the ones who will bring justice to those lives. They’re calling us Avengers.”

Mockingbird scanned everyone’s faces. They all seemed pensive. Then Thor thrust his fist out in front of him toward the center of them. She-Hulk, Spider-Man, and Firestar followed suit. Then the rest did too, all holding their fists out to one another. Nothing else needed to be said. This was it. Them against the Phalanx.

***

“Holy shit,” whispered Jessica to herself as she stepped off the ship, “We really did it…”

“Woohoo!” cheered Peter as he leapt high over Jessica’s head and began running in circles around the hangar, waving his mask over his head, “We did it! We won! Yeah!!”

They had indeed won. In fact, the battle had been much easier than Jessica thought it would be. It turned out Loki was right. Having two actual gods on their side proved to be an enormous advantage. She-Hulk didn’t hurt either. The three of them alone tore through the Phalanx’s defenses. The dreadnaught was neutralized before anyone on Earth even knew it was close.

“Someone’s excited,” smiled Steve, stepping out and looking at Peter as he continued to run and skip.

“Let him be,” said She-Hulk, stepping out herself, “He’s earned it, hasn’t he?”

“We all have,” said Loki, joining them, “In fact, I’d say we’ve earned a lot more.”

Loki had changed into his masculine form. He had also traded out his elaborate armor for a fine, emerald green Asgardian suit adorned with gold.

“What do you mean by that?” asked Agent Morse.

“We must celebrate!” declared Thor, “Every great battle must be honored with festivities!”

“We don’t exactly have the supplies…” considered Steve.

Loki snapped his fingers. Several bottles of fine liquor appeared in one of his hands and tumblers appeared in his other. 

“I’m always prepared,” he said.

Jessica winced as her head panged at the very smell of the alcohol. Her hangover was still not completely gone.

“How much longer do we have use of this hangar?” Steve asked Agent Romanoff.

“We’ll be the only ones here until dawn,” she said.

“Then I see no reason not to make use of it,” smiled Steve, “By all means, cut loose!”

So Loki went about manifesting all the necessary supplies. Thor and She-Hulk helped clear the hangar itself while everyone else set up the tables, refreshments, couches, and a stereo. Within an hour the hangar had been fully transformed into a party room. Within two hours it was fully in use.

Jessica sighed as she drank her liquorless Coke. Her hangover still lingered and she didn’t like the idea of making it worse. She sat on one of the newly manifested couches as she looked around the room at everybody smiling and talking. The whole thing felt unreal. Hours ago, she was all but certain they would die in that fight. Instead, they had saved the world. Maybe there was some truth to this whole hero thing after all.

“Room for one more?”

Jessica looked up and saw Agent Romanoff, who had changed into a cocktail dress and was standing over her with a martini in hand. Jessica looked to the side and recalled that she was the only one on the couch. She nodded. Agent Romanoff sat beside her.

“It’s a shame I didn’t get to see you in action today,” she mused.

“Yeah,” shrugged Jessica.

Jessica and Agent Romanoff had been on different objectives during the mission. Not that Jessica had gotten to show off much anyway. She had worked alongside Loki, who had done most of the heavy lifting combat wise. Jessica had mostly just monitored their status and coordinated with the other teams. It had worked though.

“You know, I read about your fight with Schultz*,” said Agent Romanov, “Good work.”

*From [Jessica Jones: Bad Reputation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/20904953)

“Thanks,” said Jessica.

“The report said you two had met before the fight,” said Agent Romanoff, “That can’t be true, right?”

“We did,” remembered Jessica with a hint of fondness, “I got him to stop distributing Oscorp tech to street criminals.”

“That’s good work,” nodded Agent Romanoff, “How’d you manage that?”

Jessica went to answer, but considered for a moment. She didn’t know the first thing about Agent Romanoff. Her history of espionage was concerning. She was a spy first and foremost. As far as Jessica was concerned, that meant her loyalty was to S.H.I.E.L.D. She couldn’t be trusted. Jessica certainly wasn’t about to confess to the criminal infractions she accrued in her line of work. 

“It’s a long story,” dismissed Jessica, “I’ll tell you another time.”

Agent Romanoff frowned. Jessica had stopped her in her tracks. Without saying another word, the agent stood up and walked away. Jessica smiled in satisfaction. She was right.

Jessica looked over to Peter, who was sitting on a couch between Angelica and She-Hulk. He was over the moon. He had changed into his usual outfit of hoodie and baggy jeans, but still had the confidence he normally only had while wearing the mask. It was a relief to see.

“So I have it all webbed up, right?” narrated Peter excitedly to Angelica, “Like all it’s mechanics are caught up in my webbing and it can barely move.”

“And I’m bounding towards them!” added She-Hulk, “On my way to take the whole mech down!”

“And I see her coming,” continued Peter, “So I say, ‘You know on Earth we have a saying: you have the right to an attorney!’”

“BAM!” shouted She-Hulk, punching her palm and clasping her fist, “That’s when I come in and hit that thing with my strongest punch. Perfect timing.”

Angelica was laughing now. Even Jessica chuckled. She wished she could have seen that.

“You’re funny, Peter!” laughed She-Hulk, “We make a good team!”

“Do you think we’ll get to work together again?” asked Peter.

“Maybe,” said Angelica in a slightly hushed tone, “I did hear one of the agents say there was talk of making the Avengers a permanent part of S.H.I.E.L.D.”

“That would be amazing!” cheered Peter, “We’d do so much good for people as a team! Do you think they’d employ us? Like with pay and benefits and stuff?”

“Well we’d be working for S.H.I.E.L.D.,” said She-Hulk, “So if the Avengers were to become official, yes, we would be provided pay and benefits.”

“I can’t believe it...” sighed Peter happily.

“We don’t know that they’re even doing it,” cautioned She-Hulk, “So don’t get too excited.”

Jessica turned her attention to the rest of the party. She watched Loki lean in closer and closer to Steve as they talked. Then Jessica smirked as she saw Loki frown with indignance and walk away. Evidently Steve wasn’t interested in a hookup tonight.

“Jessica!” called Peter out happily, as he ran up to her, “Did you hear? They’re thinking of making the Avengers permanent! I could be fighting alongside Captain America for a living!”

“We don’t know that yet,” said Jessica, sharing She-Hulk’s caution, “but yeah, that would be great.”

“I’m going to go talk to Thor now,” said Peter, positively giddy.

“Good luck,” scoffed Jessica with a smile.

Peter ran off to chat with Thor. Jessica smiled. She had never seen him go to talk to a crush of his with so much confidence. Jessica hoped the Avengers would become permanent too. It would be good for Peter.

Jessica did a headcount. Not everybody was here. Agent Morse was missing. Jessica hadn’t seen her since the party started. Where was she? Jessica didn’t need to consider much longer. Agent Morse entered the hangar from the far end. Jessica could immediately tell what had taken her so long: Agent Morse had put a lot of time and effort into her look. She had a brown leather jacket over black skinny jeans and black boots. He hair was down and hung loosely about her shoulders. Her eyeliner and dark red lipstick was meticulously applied. She walked right up to Jessica, who found herself staring. Morse looked _good_.

“Sorry I’m late,” said Agent Morse as she sat beside Jessica, “Didn’t feel like partying in my work clothes.”

“You didn’t strike me as the leather jacket type,” said Jessica.

“It kind of goes with the whole biker girl thing.”

“You do NOT ride a motorcycle,” said Jessica in disbelief.

“A Kawasaki ZX-6R to be precise.”

Jessica almost smiled. Agent Morse had surprised and even impressed her that day. Maybe she wasn’t a complete stick in the mud. Her allegiance to S.H.I.E.L.D. still concerned Jessica though. She also still had a bad taste in her mouth from their previous encounter during basic. In any case, this new side of Agent Morse was welcome.

“Not drinking?” she noted.

“That a problem, Agent Morse?” asked Jessica, unhappy with the subject matter.

“Certainly not,” she responded, “and you can call me Bobbi now.”

“What?”

“Bobbi,” she repeated, “It’s a nickname for Barbara.”

“It wasn’t the etymology that confused me.”

“I like you, Jessica Jones,” said Bobbi plainly, “You’re tough, smart, and have a strong moral compass. I respect you and I want us to be friends.”

“Friends?”

“If you’d be so inclined.”

“You gave me a wedgie in front of an entire training class!”

“Oh please,” scoffed Bobbi, “You would have done the same to me if our roles were reversed.”

Jessica went to retort, but stopped herself. It was true.

“Peter seems to be doing well,” noted Bobbi, nodding in his direction.

Jessica looked over. Peter, Steve, and Thor were all at a table together happily chatting. Peter had earned Thor’s respect by pulling him out of the way of an attack during the fight. It turned out that Peter’s spider-sense was good enough to catch stuff that even Thor couldn’t catch. Now the three were sharing battle stories. Steve and Thor seemed impressed. Jessica smiled. This was just what Peter needed.

“You’re proud of him,” said Bobbi.

Jessica looked over at her, slightly indignant at the accuracy of the read.

“He seems to be hitting it off with Steve,” said Bobbi, “That’s good. They’ll get along great.”

“Exactly how well do you know Captain America?”

“More than most,” said Bobbi proudly, “I’m sort of like his unofficial pop culture guru.”

“You have movie nights or something?”

“Sure do.”

“Are all you heroes such huge fucking nerds?” laughed Jessica quietly.

“Except for you, I suppose,” smiled Bobbi.

“That’s because I’m not a hero.”

Jessica finished off her Coke and placed to bottle on the floor. She turned and saw that Bobbi was looking at her silently. After a moment Jessica began to feel uncomfortable.

“What?”

“How is it that you can literally save the world,” asked Bobbi, “and still not think of yourself as a hero?”

Jessica didn’t have a response to that. She had a point. Jessica had willingly risked her life for the sake of the entire human race. She hadn’t thought much of it; it just seemed like the natural thing to do. Peter was going to do it no matter what, that had been clear from the start. Jessica couldn’t quite parse out why she had decided to go along. Part of her thought it was to help Peter, but part of her did wonder if this was the sort of thing she wanted to do with her life. Maybe super friends weren’t such a bad thing to have.

“You really meant it, didn’t you?” asked Jessica, “All that stuff you said about Peter and me being important to the team?”

“Every word,” said Bobbi, “You two have something in common, you know.”

“What’s that?”

“You both sell yourself short.”

Jessica considered that. She looked over and saw that Peter and Steve were sitting beside one another now. They seemed to be having a deep conversation. Peter really did have a hard time believing he was good. Jessica and Mary Jane had tried to tell him, but something about him seemed to refuse to believe it. Jessica was different, though. She really did have a long way to go from good. Even if Peter and Bobbi tried to tell her otherwise. Jessica looked over to Bobbi. 

_Damn it,_ cursed Jessica, _How the hell did she turn out to be hot?_

“So earlier…” said Jessica carefully, “You said you respected me and wanted to be… friends?”

“Yes,” she nodded.

“...that all?” fished Jessica.

“That,” said Bobbi, “and tonight maybe tonight we could… get to know each other a little better.”

 _Shit,_ realized Jessica happily, _We’re doing this._

“So… Bobbi…” said Jessica, inching closer, “Tell me: have you ever kissed a super?”

“No,” smiled Bobbi, leaning in, “Why do you ask?”

“Well,” smiled Jessica back, “I don’t know if you know this, but we’re _very_ passionate kissers. All that strength, you know.”

The two leaned in closer, their faces nearly touching. Jessica sighed at the smell of Bobbi’s hair as it brushed up against her. Jessica closed her eyes for the kiss.

“YEOW!!” screamed Bobbi.

Jessica opened her eyes. Bobbi was wide eyed with her mouth hanging open in shock. Behind her was Angelica, who was cackling to herself. Natasha and Loki were watching from the corner and laughing. Bobbi turned around to face them, at which point Jessica saw her bunched up underwear hiked halfway up her back. 

_Actionwear, huh?_ thought Jessica with a smile, reading the waistband of the stretched out granny panties, _Figures._

“You’re welcome, Jessica!” laughed Angelica, looking at Jessica, “Karma’s a bitch, huh Agent Morse?”

“Hey!” shouted Bobbi indignantly as Angelica ran off.

Bobbi got up to follow her but Jessica casually reached out, grabbed the stretched out waistband of the undies, and yanked Bobbi back down onto the couch. The agent let out a small yelp as the underwear went farther up her butt and she fell back.

“Hey yourself,” grinned Jessica, “We were in the middle of something, remember?”

“God,” groaned Bobbi as she tried to shove her underwear back into her tight jeans, “It’s like college all over again…”

Jessica laughed in spite of herself. She couldn’t believe she was so into this dork.

“Let’s get out of here,” she said, “Get ourselves some privacy. My bunk is-”

“Forget the bunks,” said Bobbi, “There’s an entire officer’s suite going unused.”

“That sounds like it’s against the rules,” Jessica said, a smile growing across her face.

“Some things are worth breaking rules for,” whispered Bobbi, leaning in close.

 _Well played,_ thought Jessica as she got up with Bobbi and they headed out of the hangar.

Then Bobbi’s walk slowed and Jessica got ahead of her. When Jessica turned back to see why, she saw Bobbi blushing and shoving both hands down the back of her pants, still removing the cotton from her butt.

“Shut up!” she shouted indignantly.

“I didn’t say anything,” smiled Jessica back, turning and exiting the hangar. Bobbi excitedly rushed after her.

“Well would you look at that,” smiled Peter as he eyed them leaving, “Looks like Jessica and Agent Morse are starting to get along!”

“I think they’re doing more than getting along, son,” chuckled Steve.

“No!” gasped Peter, “You don’t think…?”

Steve nodded.

“Good for them,” said Peter.

“You and Jessica seem pretty close,” noted Steve.

“We are,” said Peter, “She’s been a great friend.”

“She seems to tease you a lot for a friend,” said Steve.

“It’s how she shows affection.”

“Was she telling the truth when she said you dressed up as me for Halloween?”

Peter blushed and began squirming nervously.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” laughed Steve, “I’m flattered, son, I really am.”

“It’s just,” muttered Peter, “Your comics meant so much to me growing up. I read every one of them over and over again.”

“You know they’re all propaganda, right?”

“I know,” said Peter, “but the theme of standing up for what’s right just meant a lot to me.”

“Well if what we saw from you today was any indication,” said Steve, “You make a heck of a symbol for that yourself!”

“You mean that?”

Steve nodded. Peter blushed again.

“I really hope this Avenger thing goes through,” he admitted, “I’ve been texting my girlfriend about it all night. She’s so happy for me. It really makes me feel great.”

“PETER THE QUICK!” shouted Thor from across the hangar, “COME! HAVE A DRINK WITH US!”

“Peter the Quick?” asked Steve.

Peter blushed again.

“I should go join them,” he said quickly as he rushed over to Thor and She-Hulk near the drinks.

Thor slammed three wooden flagons of foaming drinks onto the table. Peter didn’t know exactly what they were, but they smelled strong. Thor pushed one his way and another to She-Hulk. They raised them in a toast.

“To the Avengers!” declared Thor.

“To the Avengers!” declared both Peter and She-Hulk.

All three of them took a swig of the drink. It was sweet and smooth, but Peter could taste the alcohol in the aftertaste. He felt the warm rush of it going to his head. Peter didn’t drink often, since he never knew when he’d have to take care of Spider-Man business, but tonight he had decided to let himself cut loose.

“Another!” cried Thor, pouring them more.

Peter’s memory became foggy after that. He shared more drinks with Thor and She-Hulk. After a few he realized that he had no idea how strong they were and switched to drinking water. He still felt himself getting woozier and woozier as the drinks hit him even after that. An hour later he was bracing himself on one of the couches, trying to stay stable and not get sick. He vaguely remembered Thor and She-Hulk drinking more and having an arm wrestling contest.

Peter felt nice. He was uncomfortable and nauseous, but it was worth it. He was proud, he felt accomplished, and he was surrounded by amazing people who respected him. It’s all he had wanted for a long time. He was happily lounging on the couch fighting off the spins when Agent Romanoff walked up.

“Agent Romanoff,” slurred Peter, “Hi.”

“You can call me Nat,” she said, sitting next to him, “We did just fight an alien invasion together. I think we can drop the formalities, don’t you?”

“Sure.”

Peter was having a hard time focusing on the conversation. Thinking straight was getting harder and harder. Still, Nat seemed nice and was being quite friendly with him. He enjoyed talking with her.

“I couldn’t believe them when they told me you were still in college,” said Nat, “How do you balance that with… Well, with stuff like this?”

“I don’t know,” murmured Peter, trying and failing to sit up straight, “Poorly?”

“What do you mean?”

“College stinks,” he pouted, “Being Spider-Man is way cooler.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I guess it’s not all bad,” he said, “MJ and Malcolm are pretty cool. I like most of my classes.”

“Then what’s so bad about it?”

“It’s this guy… Flash… Tom… Thom… Thompson…”

“What about him?”

“It’s…” said Peter uncomfortably, “embarrassing…”

“It’s okay,” assured Nat, “You can trust me.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” she smiled, “You can tell me anything.”

***

“Wow…” said Jessica, “Look at this place!”

The officer’s suite was about the size of Jessica’s entire apartment. It was significantly cleaner, too. The walls were the same ugly beige as the bunks, but the floor was a clean red carpet. There were a number of armchairs, stocked bookshelves, a television monitor, a couch, a large desk, and an enormous king sized bed.

Jessica was still looking around the room when Bobbi took her leather jacket off and tossed it aside. She was wearing a black tank top underneath. For the first time, Jessica could clearly see how muscular Bobbi really was. Jessica could also see something else. She tried to hold back a laugh.

“Oh God!” realized Bobbi, noticing that her underwear was still bunched up and sticking out.

“Relax,” said Jessica, taking her own leather jacket off and walking over to Bobbi, “You being a giant nerd obviously hasn’t deterred me yet.”

“Are you always this sweet to your partners?” smiled Bobbi playfully.

“Just the ones who deserve it,” said Jessica quietly as she leaned in towards Bobbi.

They kissed. Bobbi smelled amazing. Jessica couldn’t get over that. Bobbi had some sweet smelling shampoo in her hair, but it was honestly the smell of her sweat that excited Jessica the most. There was just something so viscerally exciting about how it made her feel. Bobbi was a gentle kisser. Jessica responded by kissing hard, gripping the straps of Bobbi’s tank top and pulling her in as she did. Bobbi let out a long moan.

“Wow,” smiled Jessica, pulling away for a moment, “You really liked that, huh?”

“Uh-huh,” nodded Bobbi, clutching the front of Jessica’s shirt and looking up at her.

Bobbi was actually a bit taller than Jessica, but after the kiss her legs had buckled a bit and now found herself clinging to Jessica. Her eyes were wide and almost desperate. Her whole demeanor had changed. She didn’t seem nearly as intimidating or confident as she usually did.

“Look at you,” grinned Jessica, running her hand through Bobbi’s hair.

“Can you…” asked Bobbi quietly, “...be rough with me?”

Jessica’s grin became a wide smile. Bobbi’s eyes widened even further. Jessica placed one hand on either side of Bobbi’s torso, slowly sliding them down to Bobbi’s hips. She gave them a squeeze. Bobbi let out a sound somewhere between a yelp and a moan. Then Jessica tightened her grip on the hips, lifted Bobbi off the ground, and effortlessly tossed her onto the bed.

Bobbi gasped in delight as she landed, instinctively grabbing for her clit through her jeans. Jessica pulled off her shoes and belt. Bobbi took note of this and quickly pulled her shoes off too. Then Jessica made her way over to the bed and pounced on top of Bobbi.

Bobbi let out a happy squeal, but covered her face bashfully as soon as she had. Jessica couldn’t believe it. Bobbi was loving this. Jessica crawled on top of her. This woman could kill most people before they reached the ground, but now she was all but whimpering. Even Jessica had to admit it was adorable.

Jessica grabbed either of Bobbi’s wrists, gripped them both in her left hand, and pinned them over Bobbi’s head. Bobbi let out a quiet gasp. She was loving this. Jessica had never been with someone so reactive or sensitive.

Jessica grabbed Bobbi by the face, staring hungrily into her eyes as they widened again. Jessica pressed her face down onto Bobbi’s, kissing her hard. Bobbi let out a moan that would have been heard down the hall had it not been muffled by Jessica’s kiss. They continued to kiss and soon Jessica found herself thrusting into Bobbi’s leg, pleasuring herself ever so slightly. She could feel just how firm Bobbi’s leg muscles were.

Jessica rose to her knees, straddled over Bobbi. Suddenly Bobbi’s expression became eager as she sat up in front of Jessica, her body still straddled by the superhuman woman. She looked up at Jessica with glee as she slowly unbuttoned Jessica’s jeans and then unzipped them. She slowly lowered the jeans down to Jessica’s knees, revealing her black briefs. Bobbi gently placed her fingers in the front of the waistband and looked at Jessica. Jessica nodded. Bobbi pulled the underwear down and leaned forward, feeling the gentle bristle of the pubic hair as she began to gently kiss around it. Then she went in all the way.

“Look at you,” said Jessica, “Such a gentlewoman! Who would have guessed that Agent Morse was- OH!”

A rush of pleasure had overwhelmed Jessica’s thoughts. She couldn’t think of what to say, she just wanted to focus on the feeling. Each lick and each kiss gave her another small rush. She felt herself getting closer and closer. Then it stopped. Jessica looked down at Bobbi, who was looking up at her wide-eyed again.

“Do you think…” began Bobbi nervously, “...you could… Force me to do that?”

“How would you like me to do it?”

“Like, grab me by the back of my hair and just… shove my face into you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Jessica grabbed a fistful of Bobbi’s hair with her right hand, tightening her grip to strain the hair. Bobbi let out a moan, but it was quickly muffled as Jessica shoved her back into her. The licks were stronger now. Jessica sighed in pleasure as she felt the tongue slide out of her vagina and across her clit. Each lick was harder and longer, bringing Jessica closer to finishing every time. The more Jessica pushed, the harder Bobbi went at it. Jessica was trembling now.

Jessica felt the intense release of tension in her as the pleasure suddenly spiked. She went to scream, but remembering where she was, bit her lip to keep it in. Then she felt Bobbi’s hands on her hips and was pulled to the side and onto her back on the bed. Jessica pushed her head back into the pillow and gripped the mattress on either side of her as Bobbi kept going at it, pushing the climax farther and farther.

“Don’t stop,” whispered Jessica, “Don’t stop.”

Bobbi didn’t. She kept going. Jessica felt another intense release of tension as she climaxed again.

“Your fingers,” moaned Jessica, breathing heavily, “Use your fingers.”

Bobbi did. The rush of pleasure doubled as Jessica approached another climax. The sensation was overwhelming this time. Jessica was extremely sensitive now and the pleasure was too intense to fully comprehend. Jessica didn’t try to hold back the scream this time, she let it out as she heard herself squirting. 

When it was done, Jessica’s whole body went limp, relaxed from the released tension. She was panting, almost completely out of breath. She could feel the sweat in her hair and on her back. She looked at Bobbi. She had a proud smile on her face.

“How was that?” she asked.

Jessica answered with a weak thumbs up. Bobbi chuckled.

“It was good for me too,” smiled Bobbi softly.

“Oh,” said Jessica between breaths, “You don’t think we’re done, do you? You’re not getting away that easily.”

Bobbi squealed with delight again as Jessica grabbed her and threw her back onto her back, crawling on top of her and going at her again. Jessica resisted the urge to tear off Bobbi’s clothes, instead just frantically pulling them off. Bobbi did the same and eventually she was lying there naked. Jessica stroked Bobbi’s smooth skin and squeezed at her boobs, making Bobbi moan.

“Alright, Mockingbird,” said Jessica with a confident smile, “Let’s see how loud I can make you sing...”

***

Jessica stepped off the elevator and walked down the hall. She was in a good mood. She was walking briskly and she even caught herself smiling. Last night had gone better than she could have hoped. Peter was finally getting the recognition he deserved and Jessica… Jessica had had a great night too.

Her and Bobbi had snuck out of the officer’s suite early in the morning, both rushing to their initially assigned bunks. An agent had visited Jessica not long afterward and told her to report to the conference room at 9:00. Whether this was for a debrief or something else, Jessica wasn’t entirely sure. On the off chance it was important, she wasn’t going to miss it. Strangely enough, she even _wanted_ to go to whatever it was.

Jessica was the last member of the team to arrive. Steve, Peter, Bobbi, Jennifer, Angelica, Thor, Loki, and Agent Romanoff were already seated. Jessica took the seat beside Peter. He nudged her. She looked at him. He winked and nodded his head down the table. Jessica followed his gaze and met Bobbi’s. Then Bobbi smiled and looked away, slightly blushing. Jessica cleared her throat uncomfortably.

“Anyone know what we’re doing here?” she asked.

“The team’s becoming official!” concluded Peter, “Right? That’s got to be what this is!”

“It could be a mission debrief,” suggested Jennifer, “or a legal formality.”

“Thank you all for being on time,” said Hill as she walked into the room, taking a seat at the far end of the table beside Agent Romanoff.

“Would you be so kind as to tell us why we’re here?” asked Loki, who was now in her feminine form and wearing an all black outfit with a long green coat.

“First of all,” said Hill after taking a breath, “S.H.I.E.L.D. thanks all of you for your service. You successfully neutralized the dreadnaught before it was close enough to harm anyone. The remains of the ship are now floating harmlessly in orbit as our engineers work on the tech.”

“Just doing our duty, ma’am,” nodded Steve.

“The success of this endeavor has convinced the higher ups to make this initiative its own department,” said Hill, “Henceforth this department will no longer be known as ‘The Initiative.’ You will be known as ‘The Avengers’ instead.”

“When you say department,” asked Jessica, “what are we talking in terms of pay, benefits?”

“Before we can discuss your individual offers,” said Hill, “I have an extremely important matter to discuss relating to the makeup of the team.”

“The makeup of the team?” asked Angelica nervously.

“Yes,” said Hill, “Mr. Parker, would you please stand at the front of the room please?”

“Me?”

Everyone turned and looked to him. He gave Jessica an expectant look, as if she might have an answer. She was as confused as he was. They turned their attention back to Hill.

“Yes,” she said impatiently, “Some new information has come to my attention. Though I’d like to act on it immediately, I’ve elected to give you the chance to tell your side.”

“Wait, am I in trouble?”

“Please stand at the front of the room.”

Peter gave Jessica a nervous look before slowly working his way to the head of the conference table. Jessica didn’t like this. Why was Peter being singled out? Why now?

“I would like to remind everyone in this room that what they say will be on record,” said Hill arranging a stack of papers neatly in front of her and placing a recording device on the table, “While anyone may contribute to the hearing, speaking out of turn is highly discouraged. Please keep your commentary focused on the topic at hand. I reserve the right to expel anyone from this room or invalidate their vote if I see fit.”

“Hearing?” asked Peter, stunned.

“What’s this all about?” demanded Jessica.

“Whether or not Mr. Parker is fit to be a member of this team.”

Jessica’s heart sank. Hill had told her herself that she wanted Jessica and Peter off the team. She should have known this would happen. But Peter had played a huge role in the mission! Everyone on the team seemed to love him and he was clearly a valuable asset. What could Hill have possibly learned that would change that?

“Wait!” panicked Peter, “Why!? What did I do!?”

“You will be given a chance to respond to the evidence,” said Hill, “but I recommend that you limit your responses to that if you want to be perceived professionally.”

“What evidence?” demanded Jessica.

“This morning I had a conversation with Agent Romanoff,” said Hill, looking over some of her papers, “She shared a number of details regarding Mr. Parker’s past that I would like to ask him about.”

“Agent Romanoff?” asked Jessica, perplexed.

“Oh no,” whispered Peter.

Jessica looked over to him. His face had gone white. Not pink or red with embarrassment or insecurity, but white with fear. What could this woman have on Peter that would jeopardize his place on the team?

 _Shit,_ realized Jessica, _Last night she tried to get me to talk. I caught on and didn’t tell her anything, but Peter trusts just about everyone..._

“Indeed,” said Agent Romanoff, “Peter and I spoke last night.”

“What did you tell her?” demanded Jessica quietly to Peter.

“I don’t remember!” whispered Peter back in a panic, “I think I blacked out.”

“Jones! Parker!” yelled Hill, “This is a hearing, not study hall. I suggest that if you have something to say, you say it for the record.”

This was an unwinnable situation for Peter. There was no way of knowing how much he told Agent Romanoff. Hill wasn’t going to play fair. She would construe anything Peter denied as perjury if it differed from what he told Agent Romanoff. Plus, there was no telling what Hill had dug up on her own.

“He was drunk!” exclaimed Jessica, “This is entrapment! Right, Jen? You’re a lawyer!”

“If she coerced him into doing anything while drunk,” affirmed Jennifer, “That may qualify as entrapment, yes.”

“It’s not what he did,” said Hill, “It’s what he said.”

“For the love of god, he was drunk!” shouted Jessica, furious, “Are you seriously going to use whatever he said while drunk against him?”

“Correct me if I’m wrong,” said Hill coldly, “but my understanding was that Mr. Parker was an adult capable of speaking for himself.”

“It’s okay,” whispered Peter to Jessica assuredly.

Jessica tried to get herself to relax. She couldn’t, so instead she just sat quietly while holding in her anger.

“If it was really just the ramblings of a drunk,” said Hill, “then Mr. Parker will dispute them and this hearing will be over with. But we do have to do our due diligence.”

“I understand,” nodded Peter.

“Good,” said Hill, “Then can you start by telling me who Eugene Thompson is?”

There was a lull. Peter and Jessica looked to one another. Flash? Why was she bringing him up?

“He is a student at Empire State University,” said Peter, “We’re classmates.”

“How would you describe your relationship?”

“Uh,” considered Peter for a moment, “Well we’re not really friends if that’s what you’re asking.”

“Do you interact with him often?”

“Uh…”

“Say, on a weekly basis at least?”

“Yeah.”

“Can you tell us what a typical interaction between you two would look like?”

“Well,” said Peter slowly, “He doesn’t like me.”

“So would you say he’s confrontational?”

“Yes.”

“Why do you say that?”

“He, um…” said Peter nervously, “...kind of pushes me around.”

Jessica heard a snicker. She glared over at Loki, who looked away and pretended she hadn’t made a sound.

“Could you be more specific?”

“It’s kind of embarrassing…”

“Is it true that last week he locked you in a dumpster?”

“Well, yes.”

Loki snorted. Jessica glared at her again, but this time Loki didn’t even try to hide it.

“And the week before, did he repeatedly shove your head into a toilet until you admitted to being a, quote: ‘pathetic little twerp?’”

“I…” trembled Peter nervously, “Yeah, I… Nat, did I really tell you about that?”

Agent Romanoff said nothing.

“And the week before that, did he give you a wedgie in front of both the football team and cheerleading squad?”

“Yeah, but-”

“I’m sorry,” said Steve, raising his hand, “I don’t mean to interrupt, but what is a ‘wedgie’ exactly? I’m not familiar with the term.”

Hill looked to Peter. He was the one being questioned, so apparently she expected him to answer. Peter anxiously turned to his childhood hero and tried to explain.

“It’s, um…” he stammered, “Like, when someone pulls up on your underpants to cause pain and embarrassment.”

“How humiliating,” grinned Loki in amusement.

Peter gripped his fingers together and tapped his foot nervously, trying not to look at Steve’s face. Peter looked mortified. Jessica was becoming furious.

“What does any of this have to do with the team?” she demanded.

“Mr. Parker,” said Hill loudly, ignoring Jessica, “Why does this man continue to degrade you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is it because you’re too weak to stand up to him?” asked Hill.

“Hey!” shouted Jessica.

“Jones!” said Hill loudly and firmly, “I strongly recommend that you keep your commentary relevant and to a minimum.”

“I don’t think it would be fair for me to fight back,” said Peter quietly.

“Why not?”

“It’s just,” began Peter uncomfortably, searching for words, “I feel like with the powers I have, it would be irresponsible to-”

“Have you considered dealing with him in a way besides brute strength?” asked Hill.

“Well-”

“Or do you have such poor control over your powers that you pose a risk to him by resisting even a little?”

“...maybe,” uttered Peter.

“Peter!” shouted Jessica.

“Jones!” shouted Hill, “One more outburst and we will have to discuss ejecting you from this hearing. Is that clear?”

Jessica folded her arms in frustration. Peter’s way of handling Flash was certainly odd and Jessica even disagreed with it, but normally he could voice his reasoning much more articulately. Right now he was too nervous and bound to say something damning.

“Let the record show,” said Hill, “that Mr. Parker has stated that he might lack the necessary control over his powers to assure civilian safety.”

Jessica could see the terror in Peter’s eyes. This was it. Hill was going to use this hearing to kick him off the team if they didn’t do something.

“Hold on,” said Steve, “I don’t know if that’s fair, ma’am. We have seen Peter demonstrate control over his powers. What’s more, I think we should be considerate of his situation in regards to how he reserves use of his powers.”

“Your concern has been noted,” nodded Hill.

Jessica sighed with relief. That was right. Peter had made a strong impression on the team. They wouldn’t abandon him to Hill so easily.

“My next question,” continued Hill, “pertains to the wanted felon known as Felicia Hardy. Mr. Parker, I believe you know her as Black Cat.”

Peter’s face went white again. Jessica felt her stomach churn. What in the world had Peter told Agent Romanoff about Black Cat? That was one of the most traumatic experiences of his life. Surely he hadn’t revealed anything incriminating about it just because he was drunk.

“...yes?” said Peter quietly.

“So you confirm that you do know her.”

“Yes.”

“Is it true that the two of you had a sexual relationship?”

“Yes,” said Peter, “I was unaware of her criminal identity at the time.”

“But you became aware of it later, yes?”

“Yes.”

“How did you become aware of it?”

“Well,” began Peter carefully, “I learned of a burglary at Oscorp. The police granted me permission to investigate and stop the burglary if necessary. Black Ca- Ms. Hardy was the one coordinating the burglary.”

“What did you do when you learned this?”

Jessica stared intensely at Peter, unsure of what he would say. Even Jessica didn’t know the details about this. How drunk had he been to tell Agent Romanoff? Then Jessica caught Loki smirking out of the corner of her eye.

 _Shit,_ she realized, _Fucking god-liquor._

Peter never stood a chance. Just one glass of their wine was enough to impair Jessica with her incredible tolerance. Peter, who hardly if ever drank, would have been wasted on one glass of the stuff. If he had tried to go drink for drink with Thor…

“I…” began Peter, “ordered her to stand down.”

“How did she respond?”

“She began to… say things…” muttered Peter.

“Speak clearly,” ordered Hill, “What things did she say?”

“She talked about the…” began Peter, breathing more and more quickly, “...the...the sexual encounter we had.”

“Be specific,” said Hill, “What about it?”

“That… She could tell it was my first time…”

“Was it?”

“...yes.”

“Ha!” laughed Loki, “When was this?”

“A few months ago…”

“Wait,” said Angelica, thinking, “How old are you again?”

“21…”

Loki started laughing louder. Jessica buried her face in her hands. She could barely stomach this. She had no idea how Peter was handling it.

“What’s so funny?” asked Steve.

“You may not understand, coming from the 40s,” said Agent Romanoff, “but these days it’s very unusual to wait that long before having sex.”

“I see no reason to belittle the decision to wait,” said Steve.

“Of course not,” said Agent Romanoff, “Although in this case, I don’t believe it was by choice.”

Peter was turning bright red now.

“Is that true, Mr. Parker?” asked Hill, “Was your celibacy a choice on your part?”

“No,” admitted Peter meekly.

“So you had been trying to have sex for some time before then?” she asked.

“Yes,” said Peter, “but I don’t see what that has to do with-”

“Is it fair to say that your desperation for physical affection allowed Black Cat to manipulate you easier?”

“...maybe.”

“Let the record show that Mr. Parker’s sexual inexperience has a history of making him a liability,” said Hill.

Jessica glared at Hill and clenched her fist. She would be shouting at her, but she knew Hill would use it as an excuse to kick her out. Jessica couldn’t let that happen. She needed to be here to stick up for Peter.

“What else did Ms. Hardy tell you?”

“Um…”

“Didn’t she also tell you that the sexual experience was unsatisfying for her?”

“Did she really say that?” asked Jessica quietly.

Peter bit his lip and nodded. Jessica had no idea. She had only seen the aftermath of Black Cat’s work. She didn’t know the extent to which he had hurt Peter. She couldn’t believe Hill would stoop so low as to use that against him. Jessica turned angrily back to Hill.

“Ms. Jones,” she said, “Do you have a productive contribution?”

“Yes,” said Jessica, choosing her words carefully, “Felicia Hardy is a known criminal. I’m certain she intentionally said what would cause Peter as much emotional pain as possible. I don’t think what she said can be taken as fact.”

“Agreed,” nodded Hill, “We will have to determine the accuracy of her claims through further questioning.”

“Wait-” began Jessica.

“Mr. Parker,” continued Hill, “Could you please describe your sexual experience with Ms. Hardy?”

“Hey!” shouted Jessica, “What’s wrong with you!? These questions are incredibly invasive!”

“I agree,” said Steve, “Peter’s just a kid. Look at him! It’s not fair to-”

“No,” said Peter firmly, standing up straight, “I’m not a kid. I’ve got this. I will answer the questions.”

“Peter,” whispered Jessica, “You really don’t have to-”

“Please,” said Peter to her, “I have to do this. Have some faith in me.”

Jessica nodded.

“While on patrol, Ms. Hardy and I fought against a gang of weapons dealers,” said Peter confidently, “Afterwards, she suggested we have sex. Not knowing her criminal intent, I agreed.”

“Please be more specific,” said Hill, “What did the sex entail?”

“Vaginal intercourse,” said Peter.

“That was it?”

“That was it.”

“Do you have any reason to believe the experience was unsatisfying for her?” asked Hill.

“No,” said Peter.

“Really?” scoffed Hill, “None at all? She did say it, after all.”

“How long did you last?” asked Loki excitedly.

“Hey!” protested Peter.

“It’s a fair question,” asserted Hill, “We need to determine the validity of Ms. Hardy’s claims. As Ms. Jones points out, they can’t be taken at face value.”

Jessica could’ve killed that woman.

“How long did you last?” asked Hill.

“Um…” thought Peter for a moment, “I guess… Maybe about 30 seconds?”

There was a general murmuring throughout the room. Peter was positively sweating bullets at this point. Jessica gripped the table so hard she heard the wood begin to crack. This was unbelievable.

“That’s…” offered Bobbi, “Not… That bad…”

“It’s a little bad…” whispered Angelica.

“I’d be unsatisfied,” smirked Loki.

“Oh!” realized Thor, “Is that why he’s called Peter the Quick?”

Peter was rocking back and forth in place now as his eyes grew wider and wider. Jessica wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take.

“The consensus appears to be that at least some of Ms. Hardy’s claims had merit,” said Hill.

“Okay…” squeaked Peter quietly.

“Ms. Hardy is still at large,” she continued, “Can you explain why you were unable to apprehend her?”

“She distracted me and then, uh…” said Peter, “...used some sort of taser on me.”

“She tased you until you lost control of your bladder,” said Hill, “Isn’t that correct?”

 _No way…_ thought Jessica.

“...yes,” said Peter, letting out a sound just short of a sob. He tried to mask it with a cough.

“Holy shit…” whispered Jessica to herself.

“Ms. Jones!” said Hill loudly, “Is there something you’d like to say?”

“Yeah!” shouted Jessica, “These questions are ridiculous. Loss of bladder control is a common effect of electrification. You’re just focusing on it because-”

“Our records show you have been electrified as well, Ms. Jones,” said Hill, “Did _you_ lose control of your bladder when that happened?”

“Well… No.”

She thought about lying to save Peter the embarrassment, but the time she had been electrified was well documented. It was from a case she worked years ago and occurred in a police station. If she had pissed herself, someone would have known. Hill would have probably checked for this very reason. Jessica didn’t want to perjure herself and she knew this was a trap for just that. That would only make things worse for Peter.

“Agent Morse,” said Hill, “You’ve been electrified during missions. Did you lose control of your bladder?”

“...no,” admitted Bobbi after a moment.

“Agent Romanoff,” she continued, “You’ve done combat training with electrical weapons. Have you ever relieved yourself as a result of electrification?”

“No,” said Agent Romanov, “and neither has anyone else I’ve done that training with.”

“How many agents have you trained with in that capacity?”

“Dozens.”

“I see no shame in it,” said Thor loudly, “but I feel compelled to say that I’ve been struck by lightning itself and retained complete control over my bladder.”

“Hm,” sneered Hill, “Seems like this little issue is yours and yours alone, Mr. Parker.”

Peter looked to the floor. Jessica had never seen him in such deep shame.

“There’s one more topic I would like to discuss,” said Hill, “It pertains to the convicted criminal known as Wilson Fisk.”

Jessica felt her entire body go tense. She heard Peter let out a short gasp.

“No!” shouted Jessica angrily.

“Ms. Jones-” began Hill.

“No, fuck you!” shouted Jessica, “You don’t get to take his trauma and twist it into something you can use against him!”

The room fell silent. Jessica could hear herself panting. She caught Peter out of the corner of her eye. He looked scared, nervous. Everyone else was staring at her in shock. None of them knew what Fisk had done to Peter.* None of them had seen him the way he was when Jessica found him: naked, bruised, bound, and helpless. Peter had been through enough. Jessica wasn’t about to let this sociopathic authoritarian put him through it again for her own professional gain.

*In [Jessica Jones & Spider-Man: Break You](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21579316)

“Ms. Jones,” said Hill quietly, “I will forgive this outburst, but only if you sit back down and remain silent for the remainder of the hearing. Otherwise you can surrender your right to this hearing as well as your vote on this matter.”

“Jessica,” whispered Peter, “It’s okay. Please…”

Jessica slowly sat back down. She knew Hill meant what she said. Jessica didn’t want to risk losing her vote. Peter was going to need all the help he could get.

“Yes,” said Peter carefully, “Wilson Fisk kept me as his prisoner for about a day.”

“During this time,” said Hill, starting to take an accusatory tone, “What did he do to you?”

“He beat me,” said Peter, keeping his voice steady, “strangled me, starved me, bound me in degrading positions, and electrified me with a torture device. He was attempting to get me to tell him my secret identity.”

“What sorts of degrading positions?”

“I don’t feel comfortable discussing it,” said Peter plainly.

 _There you go!_ thought Jessica, _That’s how you do it, Peter! Stand up for yourself! Don’t let her bully you! You can’t afford to this time._

“Very well,” conceded Hill angrily.

Jessica grinned. Peter had responded correctly. Up until now she had been getting him to admit to what she wanted by making him feel like he had to. But Peter was on the defensive now. It’d be harder to convince him to admit to anything when he had the strength to defy her.

“Agent Romanoff,” said Hill, “What did Mr. Parker tell you in regards to his alleged starvation?”

“He mentioned it,” she nodded, “Although he told me that Fisk did allow him to eat at one point.”

“Is that true?” demanded Hill.

“Yes,” stuttered Peter, “but that was after hours of-”

“So you weren’t starved the whole time?”

“I-”

“You would just have us believe you were starved just to justify your shortcomings?”

“That’s not-”

“Why did he decide to let you eat?”

Peter paused.

“I asked you a question,” she said coldly, “or are you going to try to dodge this one too?”

Peter muttered something under his breath.

“Please repeat that for the room to hear,” ordered Hill.

“Because I begged him to feed me.”

 _Jesus, Peter…_ thought Jessica.

“You said you were electrified,” said Hill, “Given what we know about your past experience, is it fair to say that you wet your suit?”

“No,” said Peter firmly.

“Why?”

“I just didn’t.”

“Isn’t it true that you weren’t _wearing_ the suit?”

“...yes.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because Fisk had torn it off of me.”

“So did you just go on the floor?”

“I didn’t lose control of my bladder.”

“Even after hours of torture?”

“He let me use the bathroom.”

“Why?”

“Because I... I begged for that too.”

There was more murmuring throughout the room. Jessica hated this. Peter was visibly shaking now, unable to maintain eye contact with Hill as he had before. Jessica could tell that his knees were trembling. He was absolutely covered in sweat and for a moment she thought she saw his lip quiver.

“You begged him to feed you,” said Hill, speaking louder with each word, “you begged him to let you go to the bathroom, and you stomached all this humiliation just to preserve your secret identity?” 

“If he knew who I was he would have hurt MJ!” screamed Peter suddenly, “Or-”

Peter quickly glanced at Jessica before silently staring back at his feet. He was unstable now, close to a breaking point. Hill had him just where she wanted him.

“That’s right,” smiled Hill, “It was Ms. Jones who saved you, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“Because you two are close?”

“Yes.”

“And she’d do anything for you?”

“Yes.”

“Because she’s prone to emotional decision making?”

“No.”

“Because you represent the potential of her being compromised?”

“No!” said Peter, suddenly firm and sure of himself, “She could never be compromised. Jessica is the strongest person I’ve ever met! She is driven, resourceful, and compassionate. She has gone to hell and back to save people. She tried to take a bomb for a crowd of people she’d never met! She’s a hero and every day I count myself lucky to have met her!!”

Jessica heard herself gasp. Everyone was staring at Peter. No one could believe how abruptly he’d gone from cowering to fighting. Peter himself even seemed surprised. He looked anxiously about the room before biting his lip and staring back at the ground.

“You’ve made your point,” sighed Hill angrily, “but we’re not discussing Ms. Jones, we’re discussing you.”

 _Bullshit,_ thought Jessica, _You were trying to get him to incriminate me and you know it. But he’s smarter and better than that. He’s even smarter and better than I thought he was. He’s the real hero and no one will ever understand how much that matters._

Hill took a moment to collect herself. She went over her notes in front of her for a moment. Then she smiled at something. She placed the papers back down and returned to her line of questioning.

“Is it true that Fisk forced you to stare at yourself naked in the mirror,” she asked, “while you were bound to a post with a horse bit gag in your mouth?”

“Did I really tell you about that?” Peter asked Agent Romanoff fearfully, voice trembling.

Jessica looked at Agent Romanoff. She didn’t react. He really must have told that woman everything. Jessica couldn’t believe she would use such trust to hurt him so badly.

“Why is the mirror concerning to you, Mr. Parker?” asked Hill.

“It’s just…”

“What’s so upsetting about a mirror?”

“I…”

“Was it the fact that you were naked?” demanded Hill, “Or was it maybe the fact that you were drooling? You were drooling, correct?”

“I think…” stuttered Peter, “I’d like to stop now…”

“Stop?” scoffed Hill, “Stop the hearing? What, can’t you handle it?”

“Secretary Hill!” said Steve in an irritated tone.

“If Mr. Parker can’t handle the pressure maybe he shouldn’t be here!” asserted Hill.

“No!” begged Peter, “I want to be here!”

“Then answer the question! How did Fisk break you?!”

“He demeaned me!” cried Peter, tearing up, “He tortured and humiliated me! He broke me down piece by piece until I felt so small I didn’t know who I was anymore! He made me think he was being good to me, that begging him for food was a privilege! I believed I was his! I… I… I…”

Peter began clutching at his chest, looking around the room in confusion. His breath was short. He was scared. He was confused. Jessica leapt to her feet and rushed to his side. Peter gripped the table as he fell to his knees, tears flowing from his eyes and wheezing in shallow, pained breaths. He began sobbing, tears streaming down his face. He had lost any control he had over his state, whimpering as he struggled against the urge to collapse. Peter stayed down there for a few minutes, scared and not knowing where he was. Jessica tried to place a reassuring hand on his shoulder, but he screamed and pulled away.

“No!” he cried, “No! Please, don’t! Don’t…”

“Peter,” whispered Jessica, not knowing what else to do.

She glared at Hill. Hill just smiled back. Jessica wanted to throttle her, but she had to remain compliant if she wanted a vote.

After a minute or so, Peter righted himself enough to stand up again. He looked meekly about the room. Everyone was staring at him: Thor, Steve, Jessica... Some of their eyes held sympathy, but most were filled with only pity.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Parker,” said Hill with a hint of a smile, “It appears my line of questioning proved… too much for you to handle.”

Peter just stared back helplessly.

“I hereby call this to a vote,” said Hill, “as to whether we remove Mr. Parker from the team. Mr. Peter’s vote is exempt due to him being the subject of this meeting. A majority vote is required to remove him. We will go around the table counterclockwise. When it is your turn, state your vote and, if you so choose, your reasoning.”

“I’ll go first,” continued Hill, “Based on Peter’s inability to handle a simple schoolyard bully, his liability as a result of being desperate for affection and inexpereinced at sex, and his total breakdown when faced with a simple line of questioning, I vote to remove him from the team.”

“I vote the same for the same reasons,” said Agent Romanoff.

“I vote to remove Peter,” admitted Angelica quietly.

“Angelica!” shouted Jessica in disbelief, “You too!?”

“MS. JONES!” shouted Hill, “I have given you plenty of warnings. Your vote on this matter is hereby forfeit.”

“There’s no way you can actually do that!” screamed Jessica.

“She can,” whispered Bobbi sadly, “Violation of hearing procedure is legally grounds for expulsion or removal of voting privileges.”

“Are you fucking kidding me!?”

“Agent Morse,” said Hill, “You’re next.”

“I vote to keep Mr. Parker on the team,” said Bobbi, “I understand that he’s had difficulties in the past, but I believe without a doubt that he is a valuable asset to the team. We couldn’t have stopped the Phalanx without him.”

“Understood,” said Hill, disappointment thick in her voice as she glared at Bobbi, “Captain Rogers?”

“I echo Agent Morse’s sentiments,” said Steve, “I vote to keep Peter on as well.”

Peter sighed with relief. So did Jessica. They might have a chance.

“I too vote for Peter the Quick to remain on the team!” declared Thor.

 _All tied up now,_ thought Jessica, _3 to 3. Hill said it would take a majority to remove him, so we only need 1 more vote to prevent it._

“I vote to remove him,” said Loki smugly.

Jessica gritted her teeth nervously. Everyone turned to Jennifer. Her vote would decide it. If she voted to remove Peter, they would have a majority and the motion would go through. If she voted not to remove him, the vote would be tied and the motion would fail. Jessica could feel her stomach tightening. She could only imagine what Peter was feeling right now. Jennifer thought carefully. Everyone watched intently.

 _Come on!_ thought Jessica, _You’re a lawyer! Surely you can recognize that Hill is manipulating the facts here!_

“Ms. Walters,” said Hill, “We’re waiting.”

Jennifer looked up at Peter with sad eyes.

“I’m sorry Peter…” she said, “I’m doing this because it’s best for you. You’re not ready for this.”

 _No!_ thought Jessica in horror.

“No…” uttered Peter almost silently.

“I vote to remove Peter from the team,” said Jennifer quietly.

“NO!” screamed Peter.

“The vote has been cast,” said Hill, “As of this moment, Mr. Parker will have absolutely no relation to the Avengers or any affiliated groups.”

Jessica looked at Peter’s desperate face. She couldn’t believe this was happening. 

“No, please!!” begged Peter, crying again, “This means so much to me!!”

“Well then it’s too bad you weren’t ready for it,” said Hill, returning her attention to the papers in front of her, “You’re dismissed. Please gather your things and be out of the building by 5:00.”

“Peter…” began Jessica.

Peter sprinted out of the room covering his face before Jessica could say anything else. She stared after him in silence. She still couldn’t believe this had really happened.

“Ms. Jones,” said Hill calmly, “I trust we can depend on your professional-”

Jessica led out a roar of fury as she brought both fists into the air and slammed them down onto the conference table. A loud crack sounded as the thick wood splintered and the table split down the middle, collapsing inward as papers and supplies tumbled inward to the ground. No one said a word, they just stared at Jessica as she stood there panting furiously.

“He saved us,” she hissed, “He saved all of us. He would have saved all of you… And you… You...”

“Jessica-” began Bobbi.

“He’s the best of us!” shouted Jessica, “The best of any of us! You don’t deserve him.”

Then she looked directly at Bobbi.

“None of you do.”

“Jessica-!” called Bobbi.

Jessica left and didn’t look back.

***

Only a day had passed since the Phalanx. Peter had gone home miserable. Telling Mary Jane was one of the hardest parts, having to admit to her every humiliating thing that happened to him. She was devastated. She had been so excited for him. It hurt him so much to admit his failure to her. He lay awake hungry that night, too heartbroken to eat or sleep.

He had forced himself to class the next morning, but regretted it. He couldn’t concentrate. He couldn’t care. All he could think about was how worthless he felt and how pathetically little the world thought of him. He could barely even feel the frigid air around him when he walked across campus. 

The battle against the Phalanx was made public that morning. The Avengers were officially christened at the press conference summarizing the events that had transpired. The story was greatly simplified and certain details were omitted completely. Among those omitted details were Peter and Jessica’s involvement. Only the 7 others, the actual Avengers, were credited for the battle. No one would know that Spider-Man helped save the planet.

Peter shuffled down campus, wondering what was next for him. For a moment he had thought his life was going to change. He thought he could finally use his powers to help people without having to balance an entire second life. He was wrong. He would have to return to patrolling the city at night, operating on less than half a night’s sleep, and shambling from class to class across a miserable campus.

“Hey, Puny Parker!!”

Also, there was that.

“Not today, Flash,” moaned Peter quietly, “Please…”

“Sorry,” smiled Flash, grabbing Peter by the coat and dragging him over to the flagpole, “but I promised my buddies I’d raise the new flag this morning. You don’t want to make me into a liar, do you?”

“No, Flash! Please!”

Flash didn’t listen. Peter felt the cold metal of the flagpole’s clip slide down into the back of his pants. He felt the light upward tug on his compression shorts as the clip hooked into the waistband. He heard the click as the clip locked. Finally, he felt the incredible pain of his underwear crushing his balls and cutting into his butt. He cried out in a high pitched squeal.

His snow boots were dangling inches from the ground now, his underwear stretched far past his head to the clip being raised higher and higher on the flagpole. Flash made a point to make each tug on the pulley jerky and sudden, causing Peter to bounce up and down as he rose higher and higher into the air. The worst part was the laughter. The higher Peter got, the more students could see him. It seemed like every single one of them pointed and laughed at his misfortune.

“Check it out!” laughed one.

“Wow, that guy is a total loser!” shouted another gleefully.

“Someone get a picture!” guffawed another, “This is amazing!”

Peter continued to wince in pain as we was bounced higher and higher up the flagpole, mocked for his weakness and unpopularity the whole time. By the time he was at the top of the flagpole, his underwear felt like a single strand of nylon slowly cutting into him. He could feel his legs beginning to go numb from the loss of circulation. Flash completed his task by tying down the pulley and giving Peter a salute. Numerous students followed suit, laughing at him as he swung back and forth in the breeze.

Flash walked away after that. He didn’t bother to get Peter down. No one did. They all thought the sight of him up there was too funny, so they laughed instead. Peter felt like the lowest and most pathetic piece of garbage in the world. He was useless. He was a waste of oxygen. He was nothing. 

“Peter!” he heard Mary Jane gasp.

Peter looked down and saw Mary Jane and Jessica standing at the foot of the pole. Jessica rushed over, untied the pulley, and slowly and gently lowered Peter to the ground. When Peter’s feet finally reached the ground he collapsed into the snow, the loose rope still attached to the underwear and coming down with him. Peter wasn’t sure whether the wedgie had been so bad that he couldn’t stand or if he had just lost the will. Jessica unhooked his underwear and helped him to his feet, dusting the snow off of him. She and Mary Jane each grabbed a shoulder and guided him to a bench hidden away in a small alcove.

“Hey....” said Mary Jane, “Hey, take a seat… It’s alright.”

Peter began sniffling. Then he hardened himself. Then Mary Jane placed her hand on his shoulder. He let out a long, weak, sobbing breath.

“It’s okay,” whispered Mary Jane, “It’s okay.”

“Peter…” searched Jessica, not knowing what to say.

“Thanks,” coughed Peter after a moment, but just looked sadly at the ground.

“You know it’s bullshit, right?” said Jessica, “You know that Hill is wrong about you?”

“Sure.”

“She wanted you and me off the team from the start,” said Jessica, “She said it to my face.”

“That doesn’t change the fact that I failed,” said Peter, “The only reason she was able to hurt me is because of my own mistakes.”

“That’s not true,” insisted Jessica.

“Well, I sure made it easy for her!” cried Peter, “Black Cat, Fisk, now this… Why can’t I get anything right!?”

Jessica sighed. Peter was in a lot of pain right now. She knew it would be hard to convince him that he was wrong. Mary Jane hugged Peter’s arm tight. He looked sadly over at her and she looked up at him. She took her glove off and gently touched his cheek. Peter half smiled at her. Then he looked at Jessica.

“Sorry,” he said quietly, “I must have done _something_ right. Otherwise neither of you would be here.”

“Peter,” said Mary Jane emphatically, looking him in the eye, “You have no idea and something tells me you never will, but you do _so_ much right. You forget, I’ve been with you since the beginning. I watched you face every hardship growing up. Time after time I watched the world beat you down, but you always got back up again. You always did it because you knew it didn’t matter. You knew that by trying and failing you were growing stronger. And one of those times you got knocked down, you got back up as Spider-Man. That’s amazing, Tiger. This world has thrown its worst at you, but you’re brave enough to face it down and do the right thing anyway. You care so much about helping others and nothing stops you. It’s what I love about you. It’s… why I’m in love with you.”

Peter’s eyes widened. His mouth slowly formed a smile. She had never said those words before.

“I’m in love with you, Peter Parker,” she said quietly.

Peter’s smile widened into a delighted squeal as he and Mary Jane grabbed each other in a kiss. Jessica chuckled. When they pulled apart they both had tears streaming down their faces and huge smiles.

“Wow…” whispered Peter, “I can’t… Wow… Really?”

Mary Jane nodded.

“For a while now, I think,”she said, wiping the tears, “It’s like you said when you first told me,* it’s hard to tell when it started. But I know for sure that the man I’m looking at means more than the world to me and that I want to be with him more than anything. I want to be with him because he is the bravest, kindest, and most gentle man I know.”

*In [Spider-Man: The Girl Next Door](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21017798)

“Wow…” whispered Peter again. They kissed again, giggling.

“So…” muttered Jessica after a moment, “You going to fix that wedgie, or…?”

Peter blushed. Several feet of white underwear still trailed out the back of his pants. Mary Jane giggled. Jessica laughed.

***

Bobbi punched at the sack hanging in front of her over and over. She felt the impact reverberate in her arms as the bag swung more and more with each punch. The fingerless gloves she was wearing lessened the pain in her knuckles, but after punching nonstop for long enough they started to lose their effectiveness. After a bit longer they went numb.

 _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ she thought to herself, _What made you think that would work out? You’re an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. A happy life isn’t something you can afford. This won’t be the last time someone leaves you. This won’t be the last time you lose a friend. Tough it out! Come on, Bobbi!_

She continued to punch, harder and faster as anger swelled within her. She was furious. She didn’t know whether it was directed at Jessica for leaving the team, Hill for what she did to Peter, or herself for letting it all happen. She let out a final roar of rage as she leapt into the air and hit the bag with a spinning kick. The edge of her gym shoe struck the bag with such force and friction that it punctured it, causing the sand to start pouring out of the bag onto the ground. Bobbi stared at it.

_What am I thinking? Jessica was the first thing I’ve wanted, really wanted, since joining S.H.I.E.L.D. I have to do something. I have to talk to her or-_

“Yikes,” said Agent Romanoff, “What did that punching bag do to you?”

Bobbi glared at Romanoff over her shoulder. Then she began taking her gloves off as she walked over to the corner of the room to get supplies to fix the bag.

“Come on,” sighed Romanoff, “Say it. You know you want to.”

“What the hell is wrong with you!?” demanded Bobbi suddenly, throwing her gloves straight to the ground in anger, “How could you do that to Peter!?”

“Parker is just one man, Bobbi,” said Romanoff, “You know we’re in this for something greater.”

“What greater good did you achieve by humiliating an innocent man like that?” asked Bobbi.

“Secretary Hill didn’t believe he was fit for the team,” said Romanoff, “and all the information I provided her with was accurate. I have no regrets.”

“So that’s how you live with yourself,” grumbled Bobbi.

“I am loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D.,” said Romanoff, “Can you say the same?”

“Of course I can!”

“Then why did you vote in opposition to Secretary Hill?”

“Because she was wrong, Nat!”

“That’s not your call.”

Bobbi turned away and resumed getting the supplies. She wasn’t going to entertain this argument. She used duct tape to seal the opening in the bag shut. Romanoff watched casually.

“We both know why you did what you did,” said Nat, “why you’re upset.”

Bobbi didn’t say anything.

“Jessica Jones is an unstable, alcoholic liability,” said Nat.

“Watch it!” snapped Bobbi.

“Looks like I hit a nerve,” commented Nat, “You haven’t been emotionally compromised, have you?”

“Of course not.”

“Listen,” sighed Nat, “I don’t care who you have sex with. I just want to make sure you’re not going down a road you’ll regret. Secretary Hill trusts you, Bobbi.”

“I know.”

The two stared at each other for another moment.

“One more thing,” said Nat as she turned to leave the room, “I just spoke with her. Soon we’re going to have to get used to calling her ‘Director Hill.’”

“Director…” whispered Bobbi, “Did Fury-?”

“Have a good day, Bobbi,” said Nat abruptly, not even turning around.

***

Peter heard the knock on his dorm room dorm. He walked up to it, peered through the peephole, saw Malcolm, and opened the door.

“Hey,” said Malcolm, “You didn’t get your mail this weekend.”

“Right,” realized Peter, “Sorry, it’s been a rough couple of days.”

“I heard.”

Peter looked around uncomfortably. He didn’t know how much Malcolm knew but didn’t want to think about it too hard.

“Anyway, I haven’t gotten mail in months,” said Peter, “I didn’t know I had any.”

“You have one,” announced Malcolm, holding up an envelope.

Peter stared at the envelope in bewilderment. It had a large sticker on the side depicting Captain America’s shield. It seemed very formal. The return address was for somewhere in D.C. Peter continued to stare at it as Malcolm handed it over to him.

“Is this…?” wondered Peter aloud.

“Most of the world will never know what you did,” said Malcolm, “but for what it’s worth: the people who count already know.”

Peter tore open the envelope as Malcolm walked away and the door fell shut. There was a folded sheet of paper inside. Peter took it out and read it.

_Dear Peter,_

_I write to you on a day when I am sure you have every reason to curse the world. You have been wronged, there is no question about it. All I can offer is words, so I hope they can be of some comfort._

_I have fought in more battles than I could count. I’ve fought beside more soldiers than should ever have seen battle. I consider all of them heroes. Still, there are some who stand out among the rest. They are true heroes who not only fight hard, but fight for the right reasons. They’re not just heroes, they’re superheroes. And you’re one of them._

_I know you’ll make it through this. Even if you can’t be an Avenger, you can still be a symbol. A symbol to show everyone that evil can be confronted and beaten! A good friend of mine told me that recently. He said he read it in a comic book._

_Yours,  
Captain Steve Rogers_

Peter’s cheeks were warm with tears by now. He couldn’t believe it. All those years of looking up to Captain America… To know that he felt this way... 

Peter looked at the time. It was earlier than he usually started his patrol, but it wouldn’t hurt to start early. He grabbed his backpack and rushed out of the dorms. He found his way to a secluded alley and changed into his costume, ready to head out.

 _If MJ, Captain America, and Jessica believe in me…_ he thought as he swung up and into the city, _Then I can’t afford to let them down! Look out, world! Peter Parker won’t go down that easily!_

Spider-Man fired a web onto the nearest building and swung off to save the day.

**Author's Note:**

> One day I asked myself
> 
> "How can I engineer the saddest wedgie Peter Parker could possibly get?"
> 
> and this story was born


End file.
